mathematics

William Henry Whitfeld

William Henry Whitfeld is a mathematics 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 William Henry Whitfeld rather than just read about it. In short: William Henry Whitfeld (15 October 1856, Ashford, Kent – 1 December 1915) was an English mathematician, leading expert on bridge and whist, and card editor for The Field. He is known as the poser of the Whitfeld Six problem in double dummy bridge.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

William Henry Whitfeld (15 October 1856, Ashford, Kent – 1 December 1915) was an English mathematician, leading expert on bridge and whist, and card editor for The Field. He is known as the poser of the Whitfeld Six problem in double dummy bridge. After graduating from Chatham House Grammar School, Whitfeld matriculated in 1876 at Trinity College, Cambridge. He graduated there in 1880 with B.A. as twelfth wrangler in the Mathematical Tripos and in 1884 with M.A. For several years he was a tutor and lecturer at Cavendish College, Cambridge. In 1880 he published some double-dummy problems in whist in The Cambridge Review: A Journal of University Life and Thought (an undergraduates' journal founded in 1879). His famous problem now known as "Whitfeld Six" was published in the London magazine The Field in the January 31st 1885 issue.

The first publication of the problem in the Field was followed by other interesting and difficult hands composed by Mr. Whitfeld, as well as by articles on whist, in which his mathematical genius was displayed in close reasoning and subtle analysis. In 1892 he became regularly connected with the staff of the Field ... Whitfeld's whist problems are related to the mathematics of nested balanced incomplete block designs. He wrote the article Bridge for the 11th edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. He also wrote a 6-page essay entitled Probabilities for the 1902 book Principles and Practice of Whist. In 1900 he married Ida Alberta Russell (1877-1958). They had three sons and three daughters. The three sons were Francis Russell (1902–1975), Miles (1903–1997), and Ivan (1904–1983) and three daughters were Ida Mary (Mary) (1901-1987), Rachel (Ray) Elizabeth (1908-1993) and Margaret ("Maggie") Penmon (1913-1995). All moved to Western Australia, Miles and Ivan first later their mother Ida Alberta with Francis and the three daughters came a few months later. Ida Alberta, Mother, Ivan, Ida Mary, Rachel and Margret eventually returned to England leaving Francis and Miles in Australia.

References

External links Works by or about William Henry Whitfeld at Wikisource

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with William Henry Whitfeld

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what William Henry Whitfeld claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In mathematics, 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 William Henry Whitfeld 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 William Henry Whitfeld 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 William Henry Whitfeld

In research: William Henry Whitfeld appears in mathematics 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 William Henry Whitfeld 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: William Henry Whitfeld is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1856 births, 1915 deaths, 19th-century English mathematicians, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for William Henry Whitfeld 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 William Henry Whitfeld in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what William Henry Whitfeld 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 William Henry Whitfeld out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is William Henry Whitfeld in simple terms?

Why does William Henry Whitfeld matter?

Because it connects several mathematics 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 William Henry Whitfeld?

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 William Henry Whitfeld.