January 2023 marks the 200th anniversary of the death of British mathematician Charles Hutton (1737-1823). Most will not have heard of him: there is no Hutton's theorem, nor any similar commemoration, nor is there any mcmorial to be seen at any of the sites where he lived or worked. Even his gravestone no longer exists. But for two or three decades, his was the leading voice speaking for mathematics in English. And as the quotations from his contemporaries show (see box), he was a man who provoked strong reactions. For his supporters, he was a saintly leader, a figurehead and a towering intellect. For his detractors, he was a jumped-up village schoolmaster with poor manners and negligible talent.
展开▼
