The life and work of Prof. George Chrystal (1851-1911)

Abstract

This thesis is principally concerned with George Chrystal's life and his work, mainly in three directions viz., as an experimentalist, a mathematician, and an educationist. The main object is to bring to light the work of a personality who is representative of many more who are always forgotten. The majority of historians of science consider the works of the giants in science, ignoring totally the contributions made by the less prominent people like Prof. George Chrystal. In fact their contributions serve as one of the most important factors in propagation of scientific knowledge. His main contributions: verification of Ohm's Law experimentally; Non-Euclidean geometry; differential equations; text books on algebra; theory of seiches; institution of leaving certificate examination in Scottish education and many more have been discussed in detail. A survey of Chrystal's general thought is given in so far as it may be gathered from his scattered remarks. The references are mentioned by numerals in the superscript, details of which are given at the end of each chapter. The main text consists of six chapters. There are three appendices at the end,' Appendix 'A' consists of his correspondence with different scientists, most of which is still unpublished. Appendix 'B' contains a bibliography of his contributions in chronological order, and Appendix 'C contains his three Promoter's addresses. Tables and figures are attached at their proper places, including some rarely available photographs.