> [...] he [= G. Salmon] makes occasional reference to 'O'Brien's Coordinate
> Geometry' for elementary results, but very little prior knowledge seems
> to be assumed. (Incidentally, who was O'Brien?)
Matthew O'Brien, 1814-1855
Books:
O'Brien, M.: Mathematical tracts Part I: On Laplace's coefficients, the figure
of the earth, the motion of a rigid body about its center of gravity, and
precession and nutation
Cambridge : J. & J.J. Deighton, 1840
O'Brien, M.: An elementary treatise on the differential calculus:
in which the method of limits is exclusively made use of / by the Rev. M.
O'Brien
Cambridge : Deighton, 1842
O'Brien, Matthew: On the possibility of accounting for the absorption of
light : by supposing it due to the motion of the particles of matter.
Cambridge, 1843
O'Brien, Matthew: A treatise on plane co-ordinate geometry; or, The
application of the method of co-ordinates to the solution of problems
in plane geometry. Part 1.
Cambridge : Deighton's, 1844.
O'Brien, Matthew: The Senate-House problems for 1844.
London, 1844.
Matthew O'Brien ...[et al]: A manual of geographical science, mathematical,
physical, historical, and descriptive.
London : J. W. Parker & son, 1852-59
Information from the WWW:
1842 - F. Neumann and Matthew O'Brien suggest that optical properties
in materials arise from differences in the amount of force that the
particles of matter exert on the aether as it flows around and between
them.
A History of the Theories of Aether and Electricity..
http://maxwell.byu.edu/~spencerr/phys442/node4.html
The term COORDINATE GEOMETRY is dated 1815-25 in RHUD2. An early use of the
term is by Matthew O'Brien (1814-1855) in A treatise on plane co-ordinate
geometry; or, The application of the method of co-ordinates to the solution
of problems in plane geometry, Part 1, Cambridge: Deighton, 1844.
Jeff Miller: Earliest Known Uses of Some of the Words of Mathematics (C)
http://members.aol.com/jeff570/c.html
Antreas