Thomas Simpson

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Born: 20 Aug 1710 in Market Bosworth, Leicestershire, England
Died: 14 May 1761 in Market Bosworth, Leicestershire, England

 

Thomas Simpson is best remembered for his work on interpolation and numerical methods of integration. His first job was as a weaver. At this time he taught mathematics privately and from 1737 he began to write texts on mathematics.

He also worked on probability theory and in 1740 published The Nature and Laws of Chance. Much of Simpson's work in this area was based on earlier work of De Moivre.

Simpson was the most distinguished of a group of itinerant lecturers who taught in the London coffee-houses. He worked on the Theory of Errors and aimed to prove that the arithmetic mean was better than a single observation.

Simpson published the two volume work The Doctrine and Application of Fluxions in 1750. It contains work of Cotes. In 1754 he became editor of the Ladies Diary.

The following description of Simpson by Charles Hutton (made 35 years after Simpson's death) is interesting

It has been said that Mr Simpson frequented low company, with whom he used to guzzle porter and gin: but it must be observed that the misconduct of his family put it out of his power to keep the company of gentlemen, as well as to procure better liquor.

It would be fair to note that others described Simpson's conduct as irreproachable.