120941

A report from BR to a Girton official re Dorothy Wrinch’s mathematical research.

A transcription by Marjorie Senechal from the original at Girton College, it is contained in an email to K. Blackwell, 6 Oct. 2011:

Here is what I transcribed at Girton, from their Wrinch folder on her earlier years at Girton, 1913–1924 or so:

Notes, to whom is not clear, from Bertrand Russell (March 17, 1918) about DW’s research:

Miss Wrinch’s notes consist in the main of an interesting development of certain ideas suggested by Hausdorff: they deal with the investigation of series constructed by the “principle of first differences”. There are a number of new results, and the method employed is obviously a fruitful one, giving possibilities of very important theorems. The subject is one upon which, hitherto, not much work has been done; but it is very desirable that it should be investigated carefully, on account of its connection with some of the outstanding problems of the theory of aggregates, notably the comparability of the cardinal number of the continuum with the Alephs.

Miss Wrinch’s classification of the elements and gaps in various very general types of series is original and valuable. Moreover it points the way to a whole field of new research. From her notes, there can be no question of her competence and her capacity for adding to mathematical knowledge. If she is appointed to <a> fellowship, the College may feel as much assurance as is ever possible that her work will justify the appointment and will be highly valued by all who are interested in the subjects with which she is dealing.

I have known Miss Wrinch’s work for nearly two years, and I have no doubt that she will devote herself whole-heartedly to research if circumstances render it possible. Apart from what is in her Notes, she is engaged in other investigations on cognate subjects, and there is every reason to believe that she will arrive at valuable results in these also.