PIMS - ULethbridge Student Presentation Series: Dennis Connolly

Cambridge declared its first Senior Wrangler in 1748 (John Bates), the student who finished highest in the 3rd year undergraduate, so-called Mathematical Tripos Exams. The Maths Tripos Exams run approximately for 60 hours over a period of 10 days. The student who comes top is called the Senior Wrangler; he almost always became a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) and was almost always knighted. The Maths Tripos exams continue to this day; the best students (1st class honours) are known as Wranglers. Some famous wranglers include Isaac Todhunter, Lord Kelvin, E, J. Routh, James Maxwell, Lord Raleigh, G. H. Hardy, J. E. Littlewood, Eddie Whittaker, Arthur Eddington, G.N. Watson, Arran Fernandez. Two famous non-wranglers were Philippa Fawcett (1890 Tripos exams) and George Polya (1925 Tripos exams).
Main reference: Andrew Warwick’s “Masters of Theory” .