7/25/2019 Biography of John Venn

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John Venn Biography

Mathematician (c. 1834c. 1923)

Mathematician John Venn was born in Hull, n!lan", in 1834. # $ellow o$ %aius %olle!e,%ambri"!e, he "e&elo'e" eor!e oole*s s+mbolic lo!ic, an" in hisLogic of Chance(18)

wor-e" on the $reuenc+ theor+ o$ 'robabilit+. He is best -nown $or Venn "ia!rams, 'ictorial

re'resentations o$ the relations between sets that ha&e become an o$t/use" tool in the teachin! o$mathematics an" lo!ic, amon! other conce'ts. Venn "ie" in %ambri"!e in 1923.

Background and Education

John Venn was born on #u!ust 4, 1834, in Hull, n!lan", to Martha 0+-es an" e&eren" Henr+Venn, a member o$ the #n!lican cler!+. he +oun!er Venn recei&e" an e"ucation $rom tutors an"

at schools in Hi!h!ate an" slin!ton, later earnin! his "e!ree in mathematics in 185 $rom

on&ille an" %aius %olle!e at %ambri"!e 6ni&ersit+. Ha&in! earne" a $ellowshi' there as well,

Venn woul" establish a lon!/term career at his alma mater, becomin! a lecturer in 182 an"bein! a''ointe" colle!e 'resi"ent more than $our "eca"es later.

+ the en" o$ the 187s, $ollowin! his $athers reli!ious tra"ition, Venn was also or"aine" as a

'riest $or the %hurch o$ n!lan" an" "i" reli!ious wor- $or a short time be$ore returnin! to

%aius. He e&entuall+ resi!ne" $rom the cler!+ in the 1887s, nonetheless continuin! to remainin&ol&e" in the church.

Venn Diagrams

n 18, Venn 'ublishe" TheLogic of Chance, a !roun"brea-in! boo- that es'ouse" the

$reuenc+ theor+ o$ 'robabilit+, o$$erin! that 'robabilit+ shoul" be "etermine" b+ how o$ten

somethin! is $orecast to occur as o''ose" to e"ucate": assum'tions. Venn then $urther

"e&elo'e" mathematician eor!e oole*s theories in the 1881 wor- Symbolic Logic, in which hehi!hli!hte" what woul" become -nown as Venn "ia!rams.

hese !ra'hics were 'ictorial re'resentations o$ the relationshi's between sets, with similar

"ia!rams ha&in! been use" b+ ott$rie" ;eibni< an" ;eonhar" uler. hou!h uite com'le= intheir orientation an" a''lication, Venn "ia!rams ha&e become a tra"emar- tool o&er the +ears in

the teachin! o$ intro"uctor+ math an" lo!ic, as well as bein! use" b+ 'o'ular me"ia to illustraterelationshi's between !rou's an" conce'ts. (>or Venns 187th birth"a+, oo!le create" a"oo"le illustratin! sai" "ia!rams.)