Polymath Mary Somerville's mind charted new paths for science itself

YOUNG Mary Somerville was flicking through a periodical at a tea party when a page caught her eye – a brain-teasing algebra puzzle.

- by LAURA BROWN

Little did she know it would influence her entire career.

Her interest in maths was piqued, and this Jedburgh-born, Burntisland-raised lass asked her brother’s tutor to sneak her a copy of Euclid’s Elements. Having completed her only year of school at the age of 10, Mary was used to seeking her own opportunities for learning.

During the late 18th century, it was the norm for girls to become proficient in piano-playing and painting, not the Pythagorean theorem. Mary managed all three, as well as teaching herself Latin and Greek.