Stirling, James, 1692-1770 (Scottish mathematician)

Scope and Contents Autograph letter signed from Colin Maclaurin addressed to James Stirling "at Leadhills", dated 20 May 1738, a detailed correction of an earlier mathematical demonstration, presumably that given in the previous letter ("When I spoke of concentric surfaces infinitely near I restricted only that I might distinguish the parts more properly into such as were convex and concave towards the particle"), referring to Cotes's theorems, encouraging Stirling's work on the figure of the earth ("I wish...

Scope and Contents Autograph letter from Colin Maclaurin addressed to James Stirling "at the Academy in Little Tower Street, London", dated Edinburgh, 11 February 1728 [Old Style, which means the year is actually 1729], expressing agitation regarding the replication of his work on the "impossible roots" in a paper by George Campbell in the Philosophical Transactions for October, asserting his own claim to priority, and providing demonstrations (including one...

Scope and Contents Autograph letter signed from Colin Maclaurin addressed to James Stirling "at Leadhills", dated 12 May 1738, principally on fluxions ("I am persuaded many things are wanting in the inverse methods of fluxions especially in what relates to fluents that are not reduced and perhaps are not reduced to the logarithms or circle. I give a chapter on these, distinguish them into various orders, and shew easy constructions of lines by whose rectification they may be assigned"), citing the work of...