Augustus De Morgan

Augustus De Morgan (27 June 1806 – 18 March 1871) was a British mathematician and logician. He is best known for De Morgan's laws relating logical conjunction, disjunction, and negation, and for coining the term "mathematical induction", the underlying principles of which he formalized. De Morgan's contributions to logic are heavily used in many branches of mathematics, including set theory and probability theory, as well as other related fields such as computer science. Born in Madurai, India, De Morgan moved to England as an infant. He studied at Trinity College, Cambridge, but refused to take a theological test for a higher degree, which barred him from academia. He later became Professor of Mathematics at University College London, where he taught for many years. De Morgan was a prolific writer, authoring textbooks on algebra, arithmetic, and logic, as well as numerous articles. He was also a popularizer of science, contributing many articles to the Penny Cyclopedia. His work on logic, particularly his formalization of syllogism and his development of the calculus of relations, laid the groundwork for modern mathematical logic. He also made contributions to abstract algebra and is known for his book 'A Budget of Paradoxes,' which examined pseudomathematical ideas. Later in life, De Morgan became interested in spiritualism, conducting investigations into paranormal phenomena.