Mathematician:Peter Barlow

English mathematician and physicist, famous for his, which would be later republished and known as and become a standard reference work.

Also (disappointingly) notable for his prediction in 1811 that no prime greater than $2^{31} - 1$ would ever be discovered.

Also noted for his work on magnetism and strength of materials. His incorrect formulation Barlow's law in 1824 appeared to demonstrate that long-distance transmission of electricity was unfeasible, and until it was disproved in 1831 belief in it held back the development of telegraphy for some years.

Nationality
English

History

 * Born: 15 October 1776, Norwich, England
 * 1801 - 1847: Assistant mathematics master at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich
 * 1823: Made a Fellow of the Royal Society
 * 1824: Formulated the (incorrect) Barlow's law
 * 1825: Received Copley Medal
 * 1836, 1839, 1842 and 1845: Sat on various railway commissions
 * Died: 1 March 1862, Kent, England

Inventions and Innovations

 * Barlow Lens
 * Barlow's Wheel
 * Barlow's Law
 * Barlow's Formula

Books and Papers

 * 1811:
 * 1814:
 * 1814:
 * 1817: Essay on the strength and stress of timber