HG
The basics
Quick facts
Intro
English mathematician
Gender:
Male
Work field:
Birth:
1597(London, UK)
Death:
16 February 1637(London, UK)
Education:
University of Oxford
The details
Biography
Henry Gellibrand (1597–1637) was an English mathematician. He is known for his work on the Earth's magnetic field. He discovered that magnetic declination – the angle of dip of a compass needle – is not constant but changes over time. He announced this in 1635, relying on previous observations by others, which had not yet been correctly interpreted.
He also devised a method for measuring longitude, based on eclipses. The mathematical tables of Henry Briggs, consisting of logarithms of trigonometric functions, were published by Gellibrand in 1633 as Trigonometria Britannica.
He was Professor at Gresham College, succeeding Edmund Gunter in 1626. He was buried in St Peter Le Poer.