1780-1872

Scottish mathematician and scientific writer who published papers in physics and became well known for her 1831 translation of Pierre Laplace's Mécanique Céleste. One of the few female mathematicians of her era, Somerville became interested in mathematics while studying Euclid with the help of her younger brother's tutor. A strong advocate of women's education, she published her own treatise Finite Differences and several other books on popular science. Oxford honored her by naming one of its colleges after her.