WORLD OF SCIENCE
Absorbed in Maths
DR. T. V. PADMA
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Mary Sommerville stumbled upon algebra, and maths became her lifelong passion.
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Mary Sommerville was born on December 26,1780. Her father, Sir William Fairfax, was a vice-admiral in the British navy. Her mother, Margaret Charters, was the daughter of Samuel Charters, the solicitor of customs in Scotland.
Mary had a carefree childhood in the seaside town of Burntisland. Schooling was not mandatory at the time, and girls were expected only to learn enough to read novels, write letters, and keep household accounts.
Despite these low expectations, Mary learned a great deal. She even tried learning Latin on her own. When she failed in this task, she blamed it on her gender — feeling that she could not learn because she was a girl. Her uncle, Dr. Somerville, told her this was not true.
Dr. Somerville spent hours telling his niece about ancient women scholars, and began to tutor her in Latin. Later, Somerville referred to this period as one of the happiest in her life.
Strange symbols
At 15, at a tea party in her hometown, Mary came across some strange symbols in a fashion magazine. When she asked what they were, she was told that the symbols represented a kind of mathematics known as algebra.
Mary was so intrigued that she looked through the books in her home library for more information. The library failed her. Determined to learn more on the subject, Mary begged her youngest brother's tutor to purchase texts on algebra and geometry for her.
The books opened a door to a new world for Mary. During the day, she was forced to pursue womanly tasks such as playing the piano, but in the evenings, she was absorbed with her math books. Mary's interest did not keep her from enjoying an active social life, however. In 1804, at the age of 24, she married Samuel Greig, who was a captain in the Russian navy.
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