astronomy

George Chrystal

George Chrystal is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand George Chrystal rather than just read about it. In short: George Chrystal FRSE (8 March 1851 – 3 November 1911) was a Scottish mathematician. He is primarily known for his books on algebra and his studies of seiches (wave patterns in large inland bodies of water) which earned him a Gold Medal from the Royal Society of London that was confirmed shortly after his death.

Key takeaways

George Chrystal belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect George Chrystal to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of George Chrystal from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

George Chrystal FRSE (8 March 1851 – 3 November 1911) was a Scottish mathematician. He is primarily known for his books on algebra and his studies of seiches (wave patterns in large inland bodies of water) which earned him a Gold Medal from the Royal Society of London that was confirmed shortly after his death.

Life He was born in Old Meldrum on 8 March 1851, the son of Margaret (née Burr) and William Chrystal, a wealthy farmer and grain merchant. He was educated at Aberdeen Grammar School and the University of Aberdeen. In 1872, he moved to study under James Clerk Maxwell at Peterhouse, Cambridge. He graduated Second Wrangler in 1875, joint with William Burnside, and was elected a fellow of Corpus Christi. He was appointed to the Regius Chair of Mathematics at the University of St Andrews in 1877, and then in 1879 to the Chair in Mathematics at the University of Edinburgh. In 1911, he was awarded the Royal Medal of the Royal Society for his researches into the surface oscillations of Scottish lochs. He was a contributor to the drafting of the Universities (Scotland) Act 1889, and was one of the founders of the Edinburgh Mathematical Society. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1880, his proposers including James Clerk Maxwell. He was awarded the Society's Keith Medal for 1879-81 and their Gunning Victoria Jubilee Prize for the period 1904–8. He served as Vice President of the Society from 1895-1901 and General Secretary from 1901–1911. He is credited with instigating the move of the Society from the Mound to George Street. He was awarded honorary doctorates (LLD) from the University of Aberdeen in 1887 and the University of Glasgow in 1911. In later life he is listed as living at 5 Belgrave Crescent in western Edinburgh. The mathematician Alexander G. Burgess trained under him. He grew ill in 1909 and this worsened early in 1911, leading the University to grant him leave of absence from April of that year. A work-free summer did not improve him. He died on 3 November 1911 at 5 Belgrave Crescent in Edinburgh. He is buried in Foveran Churchyard in Aberdeenshire.

Family

He married Margaret Anne Balfour (1851-1903) in 1879. She died before him and is buried in the northern Victorian extension to Dean Cemetery with their son Walter MacDonald Chrystal who died in infancy. They had four sons and two daughters.

Publications Chrystal, George (May 1999) [1886]. Algebra: An Elementary Text-Book for the Higher Classes of Secondary Schools and for Colleges. (Volumes I & II) (7 ed.). American Mathematical Society. ISBN 978-0-8218-1931-9. (Out of copyright: 1900 and subsequent editions are available in reprint or online.) Three articles within the 1911 edition of Encyclopædia Britannica: Pascal, Blaise; Perpetual Motion; and Riemann, Georg Friedrich Bernhard.

References

External links Works by or about George Chrystal at Wikisource O'Connor, John J.; Robertson, Edmund F., "George Chrystal", MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive, University of St Andrews Algebra: An Elementary Text-Book for the Higher Classes of Secondary Schools and for Colleges. Volume I, Volume II

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with George Chrystal

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what George Chrystal claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to George Chrystal before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about George Chrystal ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of George Chrystal

In research: George Chrystal appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses George Chrystal in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: George Chrystal is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1851 births, 1911 deaths, Academics of the University of Edinburgh, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for George Chrystal outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study George Chrystal in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what George Chrystal means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain George Chrystal out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is George Chrystal in simple terms?

Why does George Chrystal matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study George Chrystal?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on George Chrystal.