Wesley S. B. Woolhouse
Encyclopedia
Wesley Stoker Barker Woolhouse (6 May 1809 - 1893) was an actuary
with diverse interests in music theory
, the design of steam locomotive
s, measurement
s, and many other fields, publishing book
s in all these fields.
He was born in North Shields
, England
and at the age of thirteen won a mathematical prize offered by the Ladies' Diary, competing against adult competition.
From 1830 to 1837 he was Deputy Secretary of the Nautical Almanac
. In 1844 he became editor of The Lady's and Gentleman's Diary, and continued in this role until 1865. A problem he published in The Lady's and Gentleman's Diary was the inspiration for Thomas Kirkman to publish his first mathematical work, beginning the mathematical study of combinatorial design
s.
His book, Essays on Musical Intervals, Harmonics, and the Temperament of the Musical Scale, advocated 19-tone equal temperament
and used a division of the octave
into 730 parts, now designated as Woolhouse units , for measuring musical intervals.
He is credited with a formula for numerical integration
.
In 1848 he was a co-founder of the Institute of Actuaries
.
His daughter, Emma Mary (Woolhouse) Rea, married musician Dr. William Rea of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England
.
Actuary
An actuary is a business professional who deals with the financial impact of risk and uncertainty. Actuaries provide expert assessments of financial security systems, with a focus on their complexity, their mathematics, and their mechanisms ....
with diverse interests in music theory
Music theory
Music theory is the study of how music works. It examines the language and notation of music. It seeks to identify patterns and structures in composers' techniques across or within genres, styles, or historical periods...
, the design of steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
s, measurement
Measurement
Measurement is the process or the result of determining the ratio of a physical quantity, such as a length, time, temperature etc., to a unit of measurement, such as the metre, second or degree Celsius...
s, and many other fields, publishing book
Book
A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
s in all these fields.
He was born in North Shields
North Shields
North Shields is a town on the north bank of the River Tyne, in the metropolitan borough of North Tyneside, in North East England...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and at the age of thirteen won a mathematical prize offered by the Ladies' Diary, competing against adult competition.
From 1830 to 1837 he was Deputy Secretary of the Nautical Almanac
The Nautical Almanac
The Nautical Almanac has been the familiar name for a series of official British almanacs published under various titles since the first issue of The Nautical Almanac and Astronomical Ephemeris, for 1767: this was the first nautical almanac ever to contain data dedicated to the convenient...
. In 1844 he became editor of The Lady's and Gentleman's Diary, and continued in this role until 1865. A problem he published in The Lady's and Gentleman's Diary was the inspiration for Thomas Kirkman to publish his first mathematical work, beginning the mathematical study of combinatorial design
Combinatorial design
Combinatorial design theory is the part of combinatorial mathematics that deals with the existence and construction of systems of finite sets whose intersections have specified numerical properties....
s.
His book, Essays on Musical Intervals, Harmonics, and the Temperament of the Musical Scale, advocated 19-tone equal temperament
19 equal temperament
In music, 19 equal temperament, called 19-TET, 19-EDO, or 19-ET, is the tempered scale derived by dividing the octave into 19 equal steps . Each step represents a frequency ratio of 21/19, or 63.16 cents...
and used a division of the octave
Octave
In music, an octave is the interval between one musical pitch and another with half or double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referred to as the "basic miracle of music", the use of which is "common in most musical systems"...
into 730 parts, now designated as Woolhouse units , for measuring musical intervals.
He is credited with a formula for numerical integration
Numerical integration
In numerical analysis, numerical integration constitutes a broad family of algorithms for calculating the numerical value of a definite integral, and by extension, the term is also sometimes used to describe the numerical solution of differential equations. This article focuses on calculation of...
.
In 1848 he was a co-founder of the Institute of Actuaries
Institute of Actuaries
The Institute of Actuaries was one of the two professional which represented actuaries in the United Kingdom . The Institute was based in England, while the other body, the Faculty of Actuaries, was based in Scotland...
.
His daughter, Emma Mary (Woolhouse) Rea, married musician Dr. William Rea of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Books
- An Elementary Treatise on the application of the Algebraic Analysis to Geometry (1831)
- Essays on Musical Intervals, Harmonics, and the Temperament of the Musical Scale (1835) (summarized on , reprinted as ISBN 9781430481263)
- Investigation of Mortality in the Indian Army, (1839)
- Elements of the Differential Calculus (1852)
- The Measures, Weights and Moneys of All Nations: and an Analysis of the Christian, Hebrew And Mahometan Calendars (1856) (reprinted as ISBN 9780548366691)
- On Interpolation, Summation, and the Adjustment of Numerical Tables, (1865)