George Boole - The Founder of Modern Logics

George Boole - The Founder of Modern Logics.

On December 8 1864 British mathematician and logician George Boole passed away. He is best known as the inventor of the prototype of what is now called Boolean logic which became the basis of the modern digital computer Thus,also is regarded as one of the founders of the field of computer science. George Boole was born on November 2 1815 as first of four children to his father John Boole, a London tradesman who was interested in science and in particular the application of mathematics to scientific instruments, and his wife Mary Ann Joyce, a lady's maid. The family were not well off, partly because John's love of science and mathematics meant that he did not devote the energy to developing his business in the way he might have done. George Boole had an elementary school education, but little further formal and academic teaching. William Brooke, a bookseller in Lincoln has introduced him into the Latin language when George went on to teach himself Greek. By the age of 14 he had become so skilled in Greek that it provoked an argument. He translated a poem by the Greek poet Meleager which his father was so proud of that he had it published. However the talent was such that a local schoolmaster disputed that any 14 year old could have written with such depth. By that time he had entered the school of Thomas Bainbridge, the Bainbridge's Commercial Academy in Lincoln. This school did not provide the type of education he would have wished but it was all his parents could afford. However he was able to teach himself French and German studying for himself academic subjects that a commercial school did not cover. At age 16 Boole took up a junior teaching position in Doncaster at Heigham's School. This was rather forced on him since his father's business collapsed and he found himself having to support financially his parents and his younger siblings. He maintained his interest in languages, began to study mathematics seriously. In 1833 he moved to a new teaching position in Liverpool but he only remained there for six months before moving to Hall's Academy in Waddington, four miles from Lincoln. In 1834 he opened his own school in Lincoln although he was only 19 years old. Four years later he took over Hall's Academy, at Waddington, outside Lincoln, following the death of Robert Hall. Inhe moved back to Lincoln where he ran a boarding school. From 1838 onwards Boole was making contacts with sympathetic British academic mathematicians and reading more widely. He studied algebra in the form of symbolic methods as these were understood at the time, and began to publish research papers Boole's status as mathematician was recognised by his appointment in 1849 as the first professor of mathematics at Queen's College, Cork in Ireland. He taught there for the rest of his life, gaining a reputation as an outstanding and dedicated teacher. In 1854 published his most important work 'Boole approached logic in a new way reducing it to a simple algebra, incorporating logic into mathematics. He pointed out the analogy between algebraic symbols and those that represent logical forms. It began the algebra of logic called Boolean algebra which now finds application in computer construction, switching circuits etc. Many honours were given to Boole as the genius in his work was recognised. He received honorary degrees from the universities of Dublin and Oxford and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (However his career, which was started rather late, came to an unfortunately early end when he died at the age of 49 in 1864 Boolean algebra has wide applications in telephone switching and the design of modern computers and his work has to be seen as a fundamental step in today's computer revolution. At yovisto you might learn more about Boolean Algebra in the lecture of Prof. Jim Pytel from Columbia Gorge Community College.

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