1
$\begingroup$

Just making sure of this.

I've just found this statement in the Collins Dictionary of Mathematics (E.J. Borowski and J.M. Borwein, 1989) in the entry for "Lucas Numbers".

"(Named after the English mathematician Henry Lucas (died 1663).)"

This is rubbish, isn't it? Every single other reference to Lucas numbers attributes them to Edouard Lucas (1842 - 1891) (or whatever his dates were).

My information has it that Henry Lucas was not even a mathematician, "just" a clergyman and politician who bequeathed the Lucasian Chair of Mathematics in his legacy.

A simple conflation?

Improve this question
$\endgroup$
  • 3
    $\begingroup$ See Lucas number; so yes, it is an error. $\endgroup$ – Mauro ALLEGRANZA Aug 31 '20 at 13:27
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ Yes, it is a typo. Edouard Lucas discovered his numbers while developing a general theory of second order recurrences that produce divisibility sequences in 1876-1880, and his only precursor at the time was Leonardo of Pisa, a.k.a. Fibonacci. Roettger et al. go into some historical details. Collins confused him with the founder of the Lucasian chair, which Edouard never even held (but Newton and Hawking did, so it is famous). $\endgroup$ – Conifold Aug 31 '20 at 21:29

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy

Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.