John Tipper (1663–1713) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national id ...

mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, mathematical structure, structure, space, Mathematica ...

and

almanac An almanac (also spelled ''almanack'' and ''almanach'') is an annual publication listing a set of current information about one or multiple subjects. It includes information like weather forecasts, farmers' planting dates, tide tables, and othe ...

-maker, now known as the founder of ''

The Ladies' Diary ''The Ladies' Diary: or, Woman's Almanack'' appeared annually in London from 1704 to 1841 after which it was succeeded by '' The Lady's and Gentleman's Diary''. It featured material relating to calendars etc. including sunrise and sunset times a ...

'', in which some important mathematical results were first published.

Life

He was born at

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a city in the West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its city status until the Middle Ages. The city is governed ...

. In 1699 he was elected master of Bablake school in that city in the place of Richard Butler. It is thought that he founded it to promote Bablake School in Coventry where he was master and to make some money but he also thought it important to promote women who he saw as being unfairly treated by society. In 1704 he commenced an

and a serial collection of mathematical papers, under the title of ''

'', which he continued to edit until his death. It was carried on until 1840, when it was united with the ''

Gentleman's Diary ''Gentleman's Diary or The Mathematical Repository'' was (a supplement to) an almanac published at the end of the 18th century in England, including mathematical problems. The supplement was also known as: ''"The mathematical repository: an alman ...

'', under the title ''

The Lady's and Gentleman's Diary ''The Lady's and Gentleman's Diary'' was a recreational mathematics magazine formed as a successor of ''The Ladies' Diary'' and ''Gentleman's Diary'' in 1841. It was published annually between 1841 and 1871 by the Company of Stationers; its editor ...

'', and continued to appear until 1871. In 1710 he also founded ''Great Britain's Diary'', which continued to be issued until 1728. Tipper was a mathematician of some ability, and to the typical contents of astrological almanacs he added mathematical problems of a difficult nature which his readers were invited to solve. Among those who exercised their ingenuity in attempting these was

Thomas Simpson Thomas Simpson FRS (20 August 1710 – 14 May 1761) was a British mathematician and inventor known for the eponymous Simpson's rule to approximate definite integrals. The attribution, as often in mathematics, can be debated: this rule had been ...

, the well-known mathematician. In 1711 Tipper started ''Delights for the Ingenious'', a monthly magazine treating of mathematical questions and enigmas, and more recreational in its character. It did not, however, survive the year. Tipper died in 1713.

References

Notes

Letters from Tipper to Humphrey Wanley, relating to the inception of the ''Diary'', are in Ellis's ''Letters of Eminent Literary Men'' (Camden Soc. pp. 304–15). ;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Tipper, John 1713 deaths English mathematicians Almanac compilers People from Coventry 1663 births