Peter Tait (physicist)

Peter Guthrie Tait
Peter Guthrie Tait
	Photograph of Tait in 1870, with signature
Born	28 April 1831; Dalkeith, Scotland
Died	4 July 1901 (aged 70); Edinburgh, Scotland
Alma mater	University of Edinburgh; Peterhouse, Cambridge;
Known for	Knot theory; Ménage problem; Snark; Tait conjectures; Tait equation; Tait–Bryan angles; Tait–Kneser theorem;
Awards	Smith's Prize (1852); Keith Medal (1867–69); Royal Medal (1886);
	Scientific career
Fields	Mathematical physics
Institutions	University of Edinburgh; Peterhouse, Cambridge;
Academic advisors	William Hopkins

Peter Guthrie Tait FRSE (28 April 1831 – 4 July 1901) was a Scottish mathematical physicist and early pioneer in thermodynamics. He is best known for the mathematical physics textbook Treatise on Natural Philosophy, which he co-wrote with Lord Kelvin, and his early investigations into knot theory.

His work on knot theory contributed to the eventual formation of topology as a mathematical discipline. His name is known in graph theory mainly for Tait's conjecture on cubic graphs. He is also one of the namesakes of the Tait–Kneser theorem on osculating circles.

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