List of Wranglers of the University of Cambridge

From 1748 to 1909, the University of Cambridge published a list of the rankings of the mathematicians in each year. The list below covers those that were either Senior or Second Wrangler, in other words obtaining the top marks in the Mathematical Tripos, the undergraduate mathematics examination. The prestige associated with the position of Senior Wrangler gradually increased through the course of its existence. In its heyday, the 19th Century, the results of the exams would be reported in the major newspapers, such as "The Times".

The Second Wranglers are also included as there are a reasonable number of individuals, such as James Clark Maxwell and William Thomson, who placed second, but went on to make considerable contributions to their fields. The order of merit listings began in 1748 and ended in 1909. [cite book|title=Mr Hopkins' Men|publisher=Springer London|year=2007|first=A.D.D.|last=Craik|isbn=978-1-84628-790-9|doi=10.1007/978-1-84628-791-6] Although the class order listings were published from 1748 onwards, they were only officially split into "Wranglers" (equivalent to a First Class degree) and "Optimes" (equivalent to a Second or Third Class degree) from 1753. [cite journal |last=Gascoigne |first=John |year=1984 |month=11 |title=Mathematics and Meritocracy: The Emergence of the Cambridge Mathematical Tripos |journal=Social Studies of Science |volume=14 |issue=4 |pages=pp. 547–584 |publisher=Sage Publications Ltd. |url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/284942 |accessdate=2008-09-19] The colleges of the individuals are also shown. The two top colleges in terms of number of Senior Wranglers are Trinity and St John's with 56 and 54 respectively.

Obtaining the position of a highly ranked Wrangler created many opportunities for the individual's subsequent profession. They would often become Fellows initially, but these were only short term appointments in most cases, before the individual moved on to many other professions, such as law, the Church or medicine. [cite journal|title=What became of the Senior Wranglers?|last=Forfar|first=D. O.|journal=Mathematical Spectrum|volume=29|issue=1|year=1996|publisher=Applied Probability Trust|url=http://www.clerkmaxwellfoundation.org/WranglersWhatBecame2008_1_24.pdf|format=PDF|accessdate=2008-09-25] The effect of this is shown in the following list not only by the large number of notable people included in the list, but also in the variety of their achievements.

Historical List

[
Arthur Stanley Eddington, Senior Wrangler in 1904]

See also

* William Hopkins, known as the "Senior Wrangler Maker", coach of many of the above.

Notes

References

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