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The Royal Society: Science in the Making

Referee's report by William Burnside, on a paper 'Mathematical concepts of the material world' by Alfred North Whitehead

Reference number: RR/16/400

Date: October 1905

Description

Without expressing any opinion on the physical speculations contained here and there in the memoir, as a whole the paper is a most valuable contribution to the logical study of the foundations of geometry and it ought to be published in the Philosophical Transactions

Burnside provides a note which might be sent to the author in which he queries whether the statement on page 39 by the authority of Veblem that 'from these twelve axioms the whole of geometry can be deduced' can possibly be true. Explains why he thinks the introduction of the theory of interpoints on page 54, at this point, before any of the axioms connected with concepts IV and V have been given, is distinctly puzzling.

[Published in Philosophical Transactions A, 1906].

Reference number
RR/16/400
Earliest possible date
October 1905
Physical description
Letter on paper
Page extent
4 pages
Format
Manuscript

Creator name

William Burnside

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Citation

William Burnside, Referee's report by William Burnside, on a paper 'Mathematical concepts of the material world' by Alfred North Whitehead, October 1905, RR/16/400, The Royal Society Archives, London, https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/rr_16_400/referees-report-by-william-burnside-on-a-paper-mathematical-concepts-of-the-material-world-by-alfred-north-whitehead, accessed on 22 March 2025

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https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/rr_16_400/referees-report-by-william-burnside-on-a-paper-mathematical-concepts-of-the-material-world-by-alfred-north-whitehead

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  • Referee Reports

    This collection contains reports on scientific papers submitted for publication to the Royal Society. Started in 1832 when the system was formalised, it is a record of the origins of peer review publishing in practice.

    Dates: 1832 - 1954

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