Cuthbert Edmund Cullis

Cuthbert Edmund Cullis (15 April 1868 – 20 March 1954) was an English mathematician who worked as a professor of mathematics at the University of Calcutta and was influential in standardizing notation and conventions in the algebra of matrices and determinants.

Cullis was the son of Frederick John, a dock surveyor in Gloucester and Louisa (née Corbett) Cullis. One of his two sisters, Winifred C. Cullis, became a physiologist. He was educated at King Edward High School, Birmingham after which he joined Caius College, Cambridge. After being seventh wrangler in 1891 he went to Jena, Germany and received a doctorate under Carl Johannes Thomae with a thesis titled Die Bewegung Durchlöcherter Körper in einer Inkompressiblen Flüssigkeit. He became a lecturer at Hartley College and moved to the University of Calcutta in 1910 where he served as Hardinge Professor of Mathematics until his retirement in 1925.^[1]

Cullis published extensively in the Bulletin of the Calcutta Mathematical Society and among his contribution was the work demonstrating that the Moebius ring was a section of the cubic surface defined by:

y(x²+y²+z²-a²)-2z(x²+y²+ax)=0

His most important work was Matrices and Determinoids (1913-1925) to be published in three volumes although only two volumes and a part of the third volume were finally published. He defined determinants for rectangular matrices as well.^[2] It is better known as the Cullis-Radić determinant.^[3]

Cullis died in Gloucester and bequeathed £1000 to Gonville & Caius college to support needy students.^[4]

References[]

External links[]

• Matrices and determinoids (1913-18) Volume 1 Volume 2