Roger Cotes

Roger Cotes
This bust was commissioned by Robert Smith and sculpted posthumously by Peter Scheemakers in 1758.
Born	(1682-07-10)10 July 1682 Burbage, Leicestershire, England
Died	5 June 1716(1716-06-05) (aged 33) Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England
Residence	England
Nationality	British
Fields	Mathematician
Institutions	Trinity College, Cambridge
Alma mater	Trinity College, Cambridge
Academic advisors	Isaac Newton Richard Bentley
Notable students	Robert Smith James Jurin Stephen Gray
Known for	Logarithmic spiral Least squares Newton–Cotes formulas Euler's formula proof Concept of the radian
Influences	John Smith (his uncle)

Roger Cotes FRS (10 July 1682 – 5 June 1716) was an English mathematician, known for working closely with Isaac Newton by proofreading the second edition of his famous book, the Principia, before publication. He also invented the quadrature formulas known as Newton–Cotes formulas and first introduced what is known today as Euler's formula. He was the first Plumian Professor at Cambridge University from 1707 until his death.

Cotes was born in Burbage, Leicestershire. His parents were Robert, the rector of Burbage, and his wife Grace née Farmer. Roger had an elder brother, Anthony (born 1681) and a younger sister, Susanna (born 1683). At first Roger attended Leicester School where his mathematical talent was recognised. His aunt Hannah had married Rev. John Smith, and Smith took on the role of tutor to encourage Roger's talent. The Smiths' son, Robert Smith, would become a close associate of Roger Cotes throughout his life. Cotes later studied at St Paul's School in London and entered Trinity College, Cambridge in 1699. He graduated BA in 1702 and MA in 1706.

Roger Cotes's contributions to modern computational methods lie heavily in the fields of astronomy and mathematics. Cotes began his educational career with a focus on astronomy. He became a fellow of Trinity College in 1707, and at age 26 he became the first Plumian Professor of Astronomy and Experimental Philosophy. On his appointment to professor, he opened a subscription list in an effort to provide an observatory for Trinity. Unfortunately, the observatory still was unfinished when Cotes died, and was demolished in 1797.