george boole

2 definitions found

george boole - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  George Boole
      n 1: English mathematician; creator of Boolean algebra
           (1815-1864) [syn: Boole, George Boole]

george boole - Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (26 May 2007) :

  George Boole
  Boole, George
  
     <person> 1815-11-02 - 1864-12-08.  An English mathematician
     best known for his contribution to symbolic logic (Boolean Algebra
     ) but also active in other fields such as probability
     theory, algebra, analysis, and differential equations.  He
     lived, taught, and is buried in Cork City, Ireland.  The Boole
     library at University College Cork is named after him.
  
     For centuries philosophers have studied logic, which is
     orderly and precise reasoning.  George Boole argued in 1847
     that logic should be allied with mathematics rather than with
     philosophy.
  
     Demonstrating logical principles with mathematical symbols
     instead of words, he founded symbolic logic, a field of
     mathematical/philosophical study.  In the new discipline he
     developed, known as Boolean algebra, all objects are divided
     into separate classes, each with a given property; each class
     may be described in terms of the presence or absence of the
     same property.  An electrical circuit, for example, is either
     on or off.  Boolean algebra has been applied in the design of
     binary computer circuits and telephone switching equipment.
     These devices make use of Boole's two-valued (presence or
     absence of a property) system.
  
     Born in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, UK, George Boole was the son of
     a tradesman and was largely self-taught.  He began teaching at
     the age of 16 to help support his family.  In his spare time
     he read mathematical journals and soon began to write articles
     for them.  By the age of 29, Boole had received a gold medal
     for his work from the British Royal Society.  His
     'Mathematical Analysis of Logic', a pamphlet published in
     1847, contained his first statement of the principles of
     symbolic logic.  Two years later he was appointed professor of
     mathematics at Queen's College in Ireland, even though he had
     never studied at a university.
  
     He died in Ballintemple, Ireland, on 1864-12-08.
  
     Compton's Encyclopedia Online (http://comptons2.aol.com/encyclopedia/ARTICLES/00619_A.html)
     .
  
     (1998-11-19)