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Martyn Cundy | |
|---|---|
| Born | Henry Martyn Cundy (1913-12-23)23 December 1913 Derby,Derbyshire, England |
| Died | 25 February 2005(2005-02-25) (aged 91) |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | Monkton Combe School Trinity College, Cambridge |
| Known for | TheSchool Mathematics Project |
| Awards | Rayleigh Prize(1937) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematics Pedagogy |
| Institutions | Sherborne School,Sherborne,Dorset University of Malawi,Lilongwe |
Henry Martyn Cundy (23 December 1913 – 25 February 2005) was amathematics teacher and professor inBritain andMalawi as well as a singer, musician and poet. He was one of the founders of theSchool Mathematics Project to reformO level andA level teaching. Through this he had a big effect on maths teaching in Britain and especially in Africa.[opinion]
Cundy attendedMonkton Combe School and then read mathematics atTrinity College, Cambridge, where he earned a PhD inquantum theory in 1938. In 1937, Cundy was awarded the Cambridge UniversityRayleigh Prize for Mathematical Physics (now known as the Rayleigh-Knight Prize) for an essay entitled "Motion in a Tetrahedral Field". Others awarded the Rayleigh Prize includeRoyal Society FellowsAlan Turing andFred Hoyle; instead of acquiring a University position, Cundy initially chose work at the secondary school level. He taught at theSherborne School from 1938 to 1966 and became prominently involved in the reform of school mathematics teaching in Great Britain. Secondary school Mathematics teachers became aware of Cundy after the appearance of his and his co-author A.P. Rollett'sMathematical Models, in continuous publication since 1952. A book focusing on the model construction of many of theregular polyhedra and other mathematical objects,Mathematical Models has remained "an inspiration for generations of mathematics teachers".[1] Cundy was Deputy Director of the School Mathematics Project between 1967 and 1968. In 1968 he became Chair of Mathematics at theUniversity of Malawi, and held the post until 1975.
Cundy spent many years publishing dozens of articles inThe Mathematical Gazette, including at age 89 the "Article of the Year" for 2003, entitled "A Journey round the Triangle: Lester's Circle, Kiepert's Hyperbola and a Configuration from Morley".[2]
He married Kathleen Ethel ("Kittie") Hemmings in 1939 and had three children, includingIan Cundy, successively Bishop of Lewes and of Peterborough.[3]
Martyn Cundy was a devout Christian and especially notable for his ecumenical views toward worship. In 1932 he was secretary of the Cambridge University Prayer Fellowship. Subsequently he served as a Methodist lay preacher and after taking up his position at the University of Malawi, an elder in the Malawi Presbyterian Church.
In Malawi Cundy learned to speak theChewa language and he and his wife Kittie were active members of the university community there. The Cundys were enthusiastic trekkers and together they contributed a walking guide to theZomba Massif.
On returning to the U.K. in 1975, the Cundys settled in Kendal and became active in the church community there. Martyn Cundy continued with his contributions to mathematics, religion and pedagogy for the remainder of his life.
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