Learn about John Venn, the creator of Venn diagrams, his transition from mathematics to historical writing. Explore his diverse interests, marriage, introduction of Venn diagrams, evolution of logic diagrams, and shift to non-mathematical works. Discover his statistical contributions, cricket bowling machine invention, and modern engineering team's reconstruction.
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Quick takeaways
John Venn revolutionized probability theory with frequentism and introduced Venn diagrams for logical visualization.
Deep dives
John Venn's Background and Education
John Venn was born on August 4, 1834, in Kingston-upon-Hull, England. Raised with a strong Anglican influence, Venn's education at Highgate School and later at the University of Cambridge laid the foundation for his future in mathematics and logic.
Contributions to Mathematics and Logic
Venn's notable work, 'The Logic of Chance,' introduced revolutionary concepts in probability theory. He emphasized the importance of incorporating frequency into mathematical prediction models and adjusted margins of error based on data sets. His approach, known as frequentism, transformed how probability was understood and applied.
Invention of Venn Diagrams
Venn's book, 'Symbolic Logic,' introduced the concept of Venn diagrams, utilizing overlapping circles to represent sets of data and relationships. Venn diagrams provided a visual tool for understanding logic and solving problems by displaying intersections and commonalities among different sets.
Diversification in Work and Legacy
Later in his life, Venn delved into non-mathematical works focusing on education and historical writings. He produced extensive biographies and histories, showcasing his dedication to researching and documenting specific subjects. Venn's legacy extends beyond mathematics, encompassing academia and inventive pursuits like his cricket bowling machine.
John Venn created the Venn diagram, and though he’s an important figure in the fields of mathematics and logic, he eventually left that work behind to write historical accounts of the places and people that were important in his life.
Research:
Baron, Margaret E.. “A Note on the Historical Development of Logic Diagrams: Leibniz, Euler and Venn.” The Mathematical Gazette, vol. 53, no. 384, 1969, pp. 113–25. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/3614533
Bassett, Troy J. "Author: Susanna Carnegie Venn." At the Circulating Library: A Database of Victorian Fiction, 1837—1901, 3 June 2024, http://www.victorianresearch.org/atcl/show_author.php?aid=661
com Editors. “John Venn Biography.: A&E. April 2, 2014. https://www.biography.com/scientists/john-venn
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Boolean algebra". Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 May. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Boolean-algebra
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Kingston upon Hull". Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Jun. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/place/Kingston-upon-Hull
Collier, Irwin. “Cambridge. Guide to the Moral Sciences Tripos. James Ward, editor, 1891.” Feb 26, 2018. https://www.irwincollier.com/cambridge-on-the-moral-sciences-tripos-james-ward-editor-1891/
Gordon, Neil. “Venn: the person behind the famous diagrams – and why his work still matters today.” EconoTimes. April 14, 2023. https://www.econotimes.com/Venn-the-person-behind-the-famous-diagrams--and-why-his-work-still-matters-today-1654353
Hall, Madeleine. “The Improbably Genius of John Venn.” The Spectator. April 4, 2023. https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-improbable-genius-of-john-venn/
“The Jargon.” Queens’ College Cambridge. https://www.queens.cam.ac.uk/visiting-the-college/history/university-facts/the-jargon
“John Venn Of Caius.” The British Medical Journal, vol. 1, no. 3250, 1923, pp. 641–42. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/20423118
Lenze, Wolfgang. “Leibniz: Logic.” Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. https://iep.utm.edu/leib-log/
O’Connor, J.J. and E.F. Robertson. “John Venn.” Mac Tutor. School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of St. Andrews, Scotland. October 2003.
“Professor Hugh Hunt leads engineering team to recreate historic cricket bowling machine.” Trinity College Cambridge. June 6, 2024. https://www.trin.cam.ac.uk/news/professor-hugh-hunt-leads-engineering-team-to-recreate-historic-bowling-machine-that-bowled-out-australian-cricketers-more-than-100-years-ago/
Venn, John. “The logic of chance. An essay on the foundations and province of the theory of probability, with especial reference to its logical bearings and its application to moral and social science.” London. Macmillan, 1876. Accessed online: https://archive.org/details/50424309/page/n19/mode/2up
Venn, John. “The principles of empirical or inductive logic.” 1889. https://archive.org/details/principlesempir00venngoog
B.H. “John Venn.” Obituary notices of fellows deceased. Royal Society Publishing. April 1, 1926. Accessed online: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/epdf/10.1098/rspa.1926.0036
Young, Angus. “John Venn Inspired £325k makeover of Hull's Drypool Bridge is now complete.” Hull Live. June 5, 2017. https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/news/drypool-bridge-turned-work-art-91547