Brunel calculations

[tali1]

Did IK Brunel do all his own mathematical calculations ? - they seem very complex indeed and i wonder why IK Brunel wasn't considered a great mathematician aswell ?

[Old_Geezer]

I dunno, but I don't expect engineers using applied maths to rank among the real mathematicians pushing back the frontier of knowledge.

[jno]

perhaps he cheated and used a slide rule... but I think OG is correct: Brunel's achievements in engineering automatically include his achievements in applied mathematics. The ranking of greatness among mathematicians is usually given to theoreticians rather than practitioners.

Pythagoras may have been great, but how many railways did he build?

[d9f1c7]

Brunel was an excellent user of applied mathematics, he did not create new maths. Great mathemeticians contribute to the subject.