In the history of mathematics, Josef de Mendoza y Ríos is one of the names that keeps returning.
The record lists Josef de Mendoza y Ríos as Spanish astronomer and mathematician (1761–1816).
Josef de Mendoza y Ríos was born at Seville in 1761. His recorded nationality is Spain.
This was the age of analysis, when the calculus was pushed hard and its foundations were not yet secure.
His academic posts were held at Royal Navy.
Mathematical work is judged by whether anyone can build on it, and that judgement takes decades.
That the work was done from Spain matters: mathematical training, institutions and the language of publication have never been evenly distributed.
Josef de Mendoza y Ríos died in 1816, aged 55. The proofs remain, and a proof does not decay - which is the particular permanence mathematics offers.
Achievements
- Held posts at Royal Navy
