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The Senior Wrangler is the top mathematics undergraduate at Cambridge University in England, a position once regarded as "the greatest intellectual achievement attainable in Britain."

Specifically, it is the person who achieves the highest overall mark among the Wranglers – the students at Cambridge who gain first-class degrees in mathematics. The Cambridge undergraduate mathematics course, or Mathematical Tripos, is famously difficult.

Many Senior Wranglers have become world-leading figures in mathematics, physics, and other fields. They include George Airy, John Herschel, Arthur Cayley, James Inman, George Stokes, Isaac Todhunter, Morris Pell, Lord Rayleigh, Arthur Eddington, J. E. Littlewood, Frank Ramsey, Donald Coxeter, Jacob Bronowski and Ben Green.

Senior Wranglers were once fêted with torchlit processions and took pride of place in the University's graduation ceremony. Years in Cambridge were often remembered by who had been Senior Wrangler that year.

The annual ceremony in which the Senior Wrangler becomes known was first held in the 18th century. Standing on the balcony of the University's Senate House, the examiner reads out the class results for mathematics, and printed copies of the results are then thrown to the audience below. He no longer announces the students' exact rankings, but he still identifies the Senior Wrangler, nowadays by tipping his academic hat when he reads out the person's name.

Others who finished in the top 12

The difficulty of the examinations is illustrated by the identities of some of those who have performed well, but less well than the Senior Wrangler.

Those who have achieved second place, known as Second Wranglers, include Alfred Marshall, James Clerk Maxwell, J. J. Thomson, and Lord Kelvin.

Those who have finished between third and 12th include Karl Pearson and William Henry Bragg (third), George Green and G. H. Hardy (fourth), Adam Sedgwick (fifth), John Venn (sixth), Bertrand Russell and Nevil Maskelyne (seventh), Thomas Malthus (ninth), and John Maynard Keynes (12th).

History

Between 1748 and 1909, the University publicly announced the ranking, which was then reported in newspapers such as The Times. The examination was considered to be by far the most important in Britain and the Empire. The prestige of being a high Wrangler was great; the respect accorded to the Senior Wrangler was immense. Andrew Warwick, author of Masters of Theory, describes the term 'Senior Wrangler' as "synonymous with academic supremacy".

Since 1910, successful students in the examinations have been told their rankings privately, and not all Senior Wranglers have become publicly known as such.

The youngest person to be Senior Wrangler is probably Arran Fernandez, who came top in 2013, aged 18 years and 0 months. The previous youngest was probably James Wilkinson in 1939, aged 19 years and 9 months. The youngest up to 1909 were Alfred Flux in 1887, aged 20 years and 2 months and Peter Tait in 1852, aged 20 years and 8 months.

Two individuals have placed first without becoming known as Senior Wrangler. One was the student Philippa Fawcett in 1890. At that time, although the University allowed women to take the examinations, it did not allow them to be members of the University, nor to receive degrees. Therefore they could not be known as 'Wranglers', and were merely told how they had performed compared to the male candidates, for example, "equal to the Third Wrangler", or "between the Seventh and Eighth Wranglers". Having gained the highest mark, Fawcett was declared to have finished "above the Senior Wrangler".

The other was the mathematics professor George Pólya. Having contributed to reforming the Tripos with the aim that an excellent performance would be less dependent on solving hard problems and more so on showing a broad mathematical understanding and knowledge, G H Hardy asked Pólya to sit the examinations himself, unofficially, during his stay in England in 1924–5. Pólya did so, and to Hardy's surprise, received the highest mark, an achievement which, had he been a student, would have made him the Senior Wrangler.

Derived uses of the term

Senior Wrangler's Walk is a path in Cambridge, the walk to and along which was considered to be sufficient constitutional exercise for a student aspiring to become the Senior Wrangler. The route was shorter than other walks, such as Wranglers' Walk and the Grantchester Grind, undertaken by undergraduates whose aspirations were lower.

Senior Wrangler sauce is a Cambridge term for brandy butter, a type of hard sauce made from brandy, butter, and sugar, traditionally served in Britain with Christmas pudding and warm mince pies.

Senior Wrangler is also the name of a solitaire card game, alternatively known as Mathematics and Double Calculation, played with two decks of cards and involving elementary modular arithmetic.

Literary references

Fictional Senior Wranglers appearing in novels include Roger Hamley, a character in Elizabeth Gaskell's Wives and Daughters, and Tom Jericho, the cryptanalyst in Robert Harris's novel Enigma, who is described as having been Senior Wrangler in 1938.

In George Bernard Shaw's play Mrs. Warren's Profession, the title character's daughter Vivie is praised for "tieing with the third wrangler," and she comments that "the mathematical tripos" means "grind, grind, grind for six to eight hours a day at mathematics, and nothing but mathematics."

In Ford Madox Ford's Parade's End, the character Christopher Tietjens is described as having settled for only being Second Wrangler.

In his Discworld series of novels, Terry Pratchett has a character called the Senior Wrangler, a faculty member at the Unseen University, whose first name is Horace.

The compiler of crosswords for The Leader in the 1930s used 'Senior Wrangler' as a pseudonym.

Coaches

The two most successful 19th-century coaches of Senior Wranglers were William Hopkins and Edward Routh. Hopkins, the 'Senior Wrangler Maker', who himself was the 7th Wrangler, coached 17 Senior Wranglers. Routh, who had himself been the Senior Wrangler, coached 27.

Senior Wranglers and runners up, 1748–1909

During 1748–1909, the top two colleges in terms of number of Senior Wranglers were Trinity and St John's with 56 and 54 respectively. Gonville and Caius was third with 13.

Senior Wranglers since 1910

Senior Wranglers since 1910 also include:

• David Hobson (Christ's College) (1940s)
• Peter Swinnerton-Dyer (Trinity College) (1940s)
• Michael Hall (Trinity College) (1950s)
• Colin Myerscough (Churchill College) (1960s)

See also

• Wooden spoon (award)

Notes

1. In years where there was a tie, individuals tied have been shown as Senior Wrangler, with the next placed candidate(s) as Proxime Accessit; strictly speaking, if n individuals are tied as Senior Wrangler, any runner up is (n+1)-st Wrangler .
2. Thomas Jones, the Senior Wrangler that year, acted as his tutor.
3. Also senior classic.
4. According to legend, Kelvin was so confident he had come top that he asked his servant to run to the Senate House and check who the Second Wrangler was. The servant returned and told him, "You, sir"! Kelvin was reportedly beaten largely on the basis of Parkinson's superior exam technique. The result was reversed in the Smith Prize.
5. Routh found more fame subsequently as a coach of other Senior Wranglers. Indeed for twenty-two consecutive years from 1862, one of his pupils was Senior Wrangler, and he coached twenty-seven in all. His first pupil in 1856 was Third Wrangler, and in 1858 both the Senior and Second Wrangler were coached by him.
6. First Jewish Senior Wrangler. A special grace was passed to allow him to be graduated using a special form of the wording in order to not offend his religious beliefs.
7. Forsyth was one of the men who were principally responsible for the reform of the Tripos system that led to the end of the Tripos ranking.
8. Regulations were changed to split the class list into Parts I & II, and Part III. The examinations for the former were held in June and retained the ordered class list (in contrast to Part III), so two sets of results exist for this year.
9. Actually placed second to Philippa Fawcett.
10. First Indian Senior Wrangler.
11. Eddington was the first person to be Senior Wrangler after only two years of study.

References

1. ^ Forfar, David (1996). "What became of the Senior Wranglers?". Mathematical Spectrum. 29 (1).
2. Moore, Gregory (2005). "Masters of Theory and its Relevance to the History of Economic Thought". History of Economics Review. 42 (2): 77–99.
3. "Peter Guthrie Tait" (PDF).
4. Craik, A.D.D. (2007). Mr Hopkins' Men. Springer London. doi:10.1007/978-1-84628-791-6. ISBN 978-1-84628-790-9.
5. Warwick, Andrew (2003). Masters of Theory: Cambridge and the Rise of Mathematical Physics. University Of Chicago Press. p. 205. ISBN 0-226-87375-7. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
6. ^ "Student, 18, youngest ever to come top in Cambridge maths finals". Daily Telegraph. 21 June 2013.
7. Wilkinson, James H. Hammarling, Sven (2003). Encyclopedia of Computer Science. Springer London. ISBN 0-470-86412-5.
8. "To the Editor of the Spectator". The Spectator. 24 June 1899. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
9. Crilly, Tony (2006). Arthur Cayley: mathematician laureate of the Victorian age. Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 160. ISBN 0-8018-8011-4. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
10. Alexanderson, Gerald L. (2000). The random walks of George Pólya. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 68.
11. Shapin, Stephen; Lawrence, Christopher, eds. (1998). Science incarnate: historical embodiments of natural knowledge. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p. 303. ISBN 0-226-47014-8. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
12. "Brandy butter". Retrieved 2011-12-09.
13. Coops, Helen L (1939). 100 Games of Solitaire (Complete with layouts for playing). Whitman Publishing Company. p. 205. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
14. Goren, Charles Henry (1961). Goren's Hoyle Encyclopedia of Games: With Official Rules and Pointers on Play, Including the Latest Laws of Contract Bridge. Greystone Press. p. 643. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
15. "Senior Wrangler" of the Leader (1932). The Handy Crossword Companion. Odhams Press. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
16. Davis, Ted; Stuerwer, Roger; Aris, Rutherford (ed.) (1983–2005). Springs of Scientific Creativity: Essays on Founders of Modern Science. University of Minnesota Press. p. 164. {{cite book}}: |first3= has generic name (help)
17. Neale, Charles Montague (1907). The senior wranglers of the University of Cambridge, from 1748 to 1907. With biographical, & c., notes. Bury St. Edmunds: Groom and Son.
18. It appears that '22nd wrangler' in the entry for William Albin Garratt in Venn. "Garratt, William Albin (GRT800WA)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge. is a misprint for '2nd wrangler'; cf Neale, Charles Montague (1907), The Senior Wranglers of the University of Cambridge, from 1748 to 1907: With Biographical, etc., Notes (Bury St. Edmunds: F.T. Groom and Son; 61pp), p. 26; at all events, Garratt took the First Smith's Prize in 1804, with the Senior Wrangler, Kaye, placing Second, although Kaye also took the Senior Classical Medal (for reference without prejudice, at the time, other things being equal, undergraduates at Trinity were given preference for the Smith's Prizes)
19. Classical Tripos established.
20. Founded Hymers College.
21. O'Connor, J. J.; Robertson, E. F. (October 2003). "Routh biography". Retrieved 6 July 2013.
22. An account exists of the 1882 graduation ceremony. "University Intelligence". The Times. 30 January 1882. Retrieved 2008-09-25.
23. Hutchinson, Ian H. (December 2002). "Astrophysics and Mysticism: the life of Arthur Stanley Eddington". Retrieved 2008-09-25.
24. "Brian Charles Molony (1892-1963)". Retrieved 6 July 2013.
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32. Kuan Yew, Lee (2000). From Third World to First: The Singapore Story: 1965-2000. Harper. pp. 750–751. ISBN 978-0-06019-776-6.
33. Neo Hui Min (12 August 2004). "Dennis Marrian, University Tutor". Straits Times. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
34. "Whirlpool numbers". Plus Magazine. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
35. "Letter of confirmation of first place in 1992 aprt II mathematical tripos" (PDF). ]. Retrieved 2014-09-06.
36. "Mathematical biography of Ben Green" (PDF). Clay Mathematics Institute. Retrieved 2011-01-06.
37. "Toby Gee" (PDF). Retrieved 2011-01-06.
38. Timothy Gowers. "Answers, results of polls, and a brief description of the program". Retrieved 2013-05-11.
39. "The Next Generation of Proof Assistants" (PDF). Computing Science Department - Radboud University Nijmegen. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
40. "Varsity 100" (PDF). Mercer Management Consulting. Retrieved 2012-08-10.
41. "Trinity Hall rises to 7th in the Baxter tables". Trinity Hall. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
42. "Mathematical Tripos, Part II, 2011". Retrieved 2011-06-24.
43. "Sean Eberhard '08 Reaches Pinnacle at Cambridge". Retrieved 2011-10-05.
44. "Sean is Cambridge University's Top Maths Student" (PDF). Havering Sixth Form College. Retrieved 2012-12-06.
45. "Mathematics Tripos, Part II, 2013" (PDF). Retrieved 2013-06-20.
46. "Downing College News - Senior Wrangler". Retrieved 2014-06-22.
47. "David Hobson: senior partner of Coopers & Lybrand (obituary)". The Times. Retrieved 6 January 2011.(subscription required)
48. "Sir Peter is Unhorsed". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
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50. "University Awards as listed on the Honours Boards in the Queen's Hall". Retrieved 29 November 2013.

• Galton, Francis (2000). "Classification of Men According to their Natural Gifts". In James Roy Newman (ed.). The World of Mathematics. Vol. 2. Courier Dover Publications. ISBN 0-486-41150-8.
• ed. H.C.G Matthew and Brian Harrison, ed. (2004). Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press.
• Tanner, Joseph Robson (1917). The historical register of the University of Cambridge, being a supplement to the Calendar with a record of University offices, honours and distinctions to the year 1910 (PDF). Cambridge University Press. Retrieved 2008-09-19.
• Venn, John (1922–27). Alumni Cantabrigienses. Cambridge University Press.
• Paul, Margaret (2012). Frank Ramsey (1903-1930): A Sister's Memoir. Smith-Gordon.

• History of the University of Cambridge
• Lists of people associated with the University of Cambridge
• Lists of mathematicians
• Senior Wranglers
• Second Wranglers