fbpx

KidsKonnect

William Hopkins Facts & Worksheets

William Hopkins was an English geologist and mathematician who became a famous private tutor of aspiring undergraduate mathematicians in Cambridge.

Search for Worksheets

Worksheets /People /Figures /William Hopkins Facts & Worksheets

Premium
William Hopkins Worksheets
Not ready to purchase a subscription? Click to download the free sample version   Download sample

William Hopkins was an English geologist and mathematician who became a famous private tutor of aspiring undergraduate mathematicians in Cambridge. This earned him the sobriquet “senior-wrangler maker”.

See the fact file below for more information on the William Hopkins or alternatively, you can download our 25-page William Hopkins worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

EARLY LIFE

  • On February 2, 1793, William Hopkins was born in Kingston-on-soar in Derbyshire, United Kingdom.
  • His father, also named William Hopkins, was a farmer who employed others to do the work on his farm.
  • William Junior was sent to Norfolk to learn practical agriculture. His father later rented a small farm for him in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.
  • William married Miss Braithwaite, and they attempted to run the farm.
  • However, William neither brought in enough money nor enjoyed his work and began to incur debts.
  • In 1821, his wife died. He sold his farm to pay off his debt and enter the oldest college of the University of Cambridge where he studied mathematics.
  • In 1827, he received his BA as a seventh wrangler. In 1830, he got his MA.

CAREER

  • William married Caroline Frances Boys before graduating, making him ineligible for fellowship.
  • Hopkins continued being a private tutor, mentoring young mathematicians who wanted to the prestigious honor of Senior Wrangler.
  • He earned about £700–800 annually in this role.
  • William had tutored almost 200 wranglers by 1849. 17 of these were senior wranglers.
  • In 1833, William published Elements of Trigonometry. Although he made relatively small contributions to mathematics, his mathematical knowledge was distinguished in the same year.
  • Also in 1833, Hopkins met Adam Sedgwick at Barmouth. The two went on several excursions, which made him deeply interested in geology.
  • William discussed physical geology as a discipline in published papers in the Cambridge Philosophical Society, and the Geological Society of London.
  • Hopkins conducted mathematical studies on the effects of an “elevatory force”, stating that it is the cause of localized fissures and faults in the Earth.
  • He also proposed that the Earth’s center was primarily solid threaded with several cavities.
  • Hopkins stated that hot fluids or vapors would enter these cavities, which would exert “elevatory pressure” in some local regions.
  • He gave as an example of his theory, the elevation, and denudation of the Bas Boulonnais, the Lake District, and the Wealden area in England.
  • His model of the Earth was directly at odds with the theories of Charles Lyell, a Scottish geologist.
  • Lyell believed that the Earth had a “steady state” due to a largely liquid terrestrial interior with a solid crust of no more than 100 miles thick.
  • William Hopkins became a Fellow of the Royal Society on June 1, 1837.
  • Between 1838 to 1842, William submitted publications to the Royal Society, discussing that the Earth’s rotation was inconsistent with a liquid but consistent with a solid interior.
  • With a grant from the Royal Society, Hopkins worked with William Fairbairn and James Prescott Joule to conduct some experiments to know the effects of enormous pressures on the melting point of substances.
  • William used the results of these experiments to support his Solid Earth theory.
  • Hopkins also thought that ice ages were not the effect of the cooling of the Earth, but were caused instead by the surface conditions of the Earth.
  • In 1847, he published the second volume of his Elements of Trigonometry.
  • In 1850, William Hopkins was awarded the Wollaston medal from the Geological Society. This was given in recognition of his mathematical models and geological investigations.
  • In 1851 and 1852, he became the elected president of the Geological Society.
  • Hopkins also conducted studies on glacier movements and glacial erratics transport.
  • James David Forbes, a Scottish glaciologist and physicist, however, believed that Hopkins was inexperienced in the field, noting that Hopkins lacked observational experience in glaciology.
  • In 1853, Hopkins became the president of the British Association.

PERSONAL LIFE AND DEATH

  • Hopkins was fond of landscape painting, poetry, and music.
  • William had three daughters and a son with his second wife, Caroline. He was the father of morality campaigner Ellice Hopkins.
  • From 1825 until 1828, Hopkins played first-class cricket. He made 4 known appearances in first-class matches, mainly associating with the Cambridge University Cricket Club.
  • Hopkins spent his later years at Stoke Newington, London in a lunatic asylum.
  • William died on October 13, 1866, at Cambridge, England. He was 73 years old. He died of exhaustion and chronic mania.

William Hopkins Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the William Hopkins across 25 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use William Hopkins worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about William Hopkins who was an English geologist and mathematician who became a famous private tutor of aspiring undergraduate mathematicians in Cambridge. This earned him the sobriquet “senior-wrangler maker”.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Humble Works
  • Life Line
  • Same Word
  • Math Icon
  • Renowned Students
  • Crusty Earth
  • Kingston Upon Soar
  • Free Time
  • Crickety Hops
  • Problem in Words

Link/cite this page

If you reference any of the content on this page on your own website, please use the code below to cite this page as the original source.

Link will appear as William Hopkins Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, August 3, 2020

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

Related Resources