Thomas Penyngton Kirkman (31 March 1806–3 February 1895) was a British mathematician. An important expositor of group theory in English, he is now remembered principally for a combinatorial problem which bears his name, Kirkman's schoolgirl problem. In contemporary terms, he proved an existence theorem for Steiner triple systems.[1] He also attempted to extend the theory of quaternions.[1]

Notes

1. ^ Smith, David (1958). History of Mathematics, Volume I. New York, New York: Dover Publications, Inc.. p. 469.

Further reading

* Macfarlane, Alexander (1916). Lectures on Ten British Mathematicians of the Nineteenth Century. New York, New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.. http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/9942.
* Tahta, Dick (2006). The Fifteen Schoolgirls. Cambridge, UK: Black Apollo Press. ISBN 1900355485. http://germinalproductions.com/blackapollo/schoolgirls01.htm.

External links

* MacTutor biography