From 1909 he taught mathematics and physics at Sydney Boys' High School and tutored in these subjects at St Paul's College at the university until 1911. That year he was appointed lecturer in mathematics and theoretical physics at Ormond College, University of Melbourne, where J. H. Michell encouraged Weatherburn to write Elementary Vector Analysis (London, 1921) which was reprinted fourteen times before its revision in 1955. Like Michell, he was a man of refinement, reserved and highly principled. In 1923 Weatherburn was appointed to the chair of mathematics and natural philosophy at Canterbury University College, University of New Zealand. Michell and E. J. Nanson had earlier recommended his original work on integral equations and relativity; Weatherburn added Advanced Vector Analysis (London, 1924) and the two-volume Differential Geometry (Cambridge, 1927, 1930) to his publications. In March 1929 he took up the foundation chair of mathematics at the University of Western Australia.
A grant (1935-36) from the Carnegie Corporation of New York led to his meeting the American mathematicians L. P. Eisenhart and O. Veblen, and to his Riemannian Geometry and the Tensor Calculus (Cambridge, 1938); in 1946 Weatherburn presented a copy of his First Course in Mathematical Statistics (Cambridge, 1946) to fellow mathematician Eamon de Valera, long-time president of Ireland. Despite Weatherburn's prolific output of books and papers, his other responsibilities were not neglected. Running his department single-handed, and with the help of a lecturer after 1938, drew from him 'businesslike qualities of a very high order'. He was unstinting in his assistance to students. His peers acknowledged his gift of lucid exposition, his love of teaching and his power of easy control in his classes. Weatherburn retired in 1950.
The Royal Society of New Zealand had awarded him the Hector medal in 1934 and in 1951 the University of Glasgow conferred upon him an honorary doctorate of laws. Survived by two sons, Weatherburn died on 18 October 1974 at Claremont, Perth, and was cremated with Presbyterian forms. A mathematics lecture theatre at the University of Western Australia had been named (1971) in his honor.
(The Hector Medal is a science award given by The Royal Society of New Zealand to Researchers working in New Zealand. It is awarded Annually in rotation for different sciences, of which there are three: Chemical sciences, Physical, and Mathematical. It is given to a researcher who has undertaken work of great scientific or technological merit and has made an outstanding contribution to that particular branch of science
From 1909 he taught mathematics and physics at Sydney Boys' High School and tutored in these subjects at St Paul's College at the university until 1911. That year he was appointed lecturer in mathematics and theoretical physics at Ormond College, University of Melbourne, where J. H. Michell encouraged Weatherburn to write Elementary Vector Analysis (London, 1921) which was reprinted fourteen times before its revision in 1955. Like Michell, he was a man of refinement, reserved and highly principled. In 1923 Weatherburn was appointed to the chair of mathematics and natural philosophy at Canterbury University College, University of New Zealand. Michell and E. J. Nanson had earlier recommended his original work on integral equations and relativity; Weatherburn added Advanced Vector Analysis (London, 1924) and the two-volume Differential Geometry (Cambridge, 1927, 1930) to his publications. In March 1929 he took up the foundation chair of mathematics at the University of Western Australia.
A grant (1935-36) from the Carnegie Corporation of New York led to his meeting the American mathematicians L. P. Eisenhart and O. Veblen, and to his Riemannian Geometry and the Tensor Calculus (Cambridge, 1938); in 1946 Weatherburn presented a copy of his First Course in Mathematical Statistics (Cambridge, 1946) to fellow mathematician Eamon de Valera, long-time president of Ireland. Despite Weatherburn's prolific output of books and papers, his other responsibilities were not neglected. Running his department single-handed, and with the help of a lecturer after 1938, drew from him 'businesslike qualities of a very high order'. He was unstinting in his assistance to students. His peers acknowledged his gift of lucid exposition, his love of teaching and his power of easy control in his classes. Weatherburn retired in 1950.
The Royal Society of New Zealand had awarded him the Hector medal in 1934 and in 1951 the University of Glasgow conferred upon him an honorary doctorate of laws. Survived by two sons, Weatherburn died on 18 October 1974 at Claremont, Perth, and was cremated with Presbyterian forms. A mathematics lecture theatre at the University of Western Australia had been named (1971) in his honor.
(The Hector Medal is a science award given by The Royal Society of New Zealand to Researchers working in New Zealand. It is awarded Annually in rotation for different sciences, of which there are three: Chemical sciences, Physical, and Mathematical. It is given to a researcher who has undertaken work of great scientific or technological merit and has made an outstanding contribution to that particular branch of science
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