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Peter Guthrie Tait

Scottish mathematical physicist (1831–1901)
Person Human Q742536
Peter Guthrie Tait
"Dr Adamson of St Andrews" · Public Domain · Wikimedia

Facts

27 properties
Instance of
human
Sex or gender
male[41]
Date of birth
April 28, 1831
Date of death
July 4, 1901
Place of birth
Dalkeith
Place of death
Edinburgh
Country of citizenship
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland[9]
Occupation
mathematician, physicist
Employer
University of Edinburgh, Queen's University Belfast, Peterhouse[12][13][14]
Field of work
mathematical physics, thermodynamics[10][11]
Educated at
University of Edinburgh, Peterhouse, Edinburgh Academy, University of Cambridge[15][16][17][18]
Award received
Royal Medal, honorary degree, Keith Medal, Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Smith's Prize, Gunning Victoria Jubilee Prize[33][34][35][36][37][38]
Notable work
knot theory, Tait conjectures, Tait equation, Ménage problem, snark, Tait–Kneser theorem, Tait-Bryan angles, Treatise on Natural Philosophy, 5. On Knots[24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32]
Child
Frederick Guthrie Tait[8]
Doctoral advisor
William Hopkins[19]
Work location
Scotland[45]
Languages spoken, written or signed
English
Copyright status as a creator
copyrights on works have expired
Described by source
Dictionary of National Biography, second supplement, Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary, BEIC Digital Library, The Nuttall Encyclopædia, Encyclopædia Britannica 11th edition, Granat Encyclopedic Dictionary, Physicists: Biographical Dictionary[46][47][48][49][50]
Family name
Tait[42]
Given name
Peter, Guthrie[43][44]
Maintained by WikiProject
WikiProject Mathematics
Member of
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Royal Society of Edinburgh[39][40]
Name in native language
Peter Guthrie Tait
Show all 27 facts +3
Place of burial
St John's Episcopal Churchyard, Princes Street, Edinburgh[7]
Student
William Peddie, Peter Redford Scott Lang, Alexander Macfarlane, Alexander G. Burgess[20][21][22][23]
Writing language
English
🏷️ Also known as
en Peter Guthrie Tait en P. G. Tait en Peter Tait ar بيتر تيت cs P. G. Tait cs P. Dž. Tèt es Peter Guthrie Tait fa پیتر تیت fr P.G. Tait he פ.ג. טייט id Peter Guthrie Tait id Peter Tait (fisikawan) it Peter Tait ja ピーター・ガスリー・テイト ja ピーター・ガリス・テイト ja ピーター・テート ja ピーター・テイト ko 피터 거스리 테이트 pl Peter Guthrie Tait ru Питер Гатри Тэйт
🔖 Identifiers · 75
ISNI
0000000108625740
VIAF cluster ID
2486486
Library of Congress Authorities ID
n84802961
GND ID
117197874
Alvin ID
alvin-person:14146
American Academy in Rome ID
12426571
Archive Site Trinity College Cambridge ID
tait-peter-guthrie-1831-1901-physicist-and-mathematician
BHL creator ID
20407
BNB person ID (OBSOLETE)
TaitPeterGuthrie1831-1901
Bibliothèque nationale de France ID
120345410
CANTIC ID
981058524214106706
CONOR.SR ID
9915239
Show all 75 identifiers +63
Cambridge Alumni Database ID
TT848PG
CiNii Research ID
1140000791724429312
CoBiS author ID
95a5yja38danym2natb5yc9p6gr3ac0
DDB person (GND) ID
117197874
Darwin Correspondence ID
4652
De Agostini ID
Tait,+Peter+Guthrie
Deutsche Biographie (GND) ID
117197874
Dictionary of Ulster Biography ID
1873
Enciclopedia Galega Universal ID
190126
Encyclopædia Britannica Online ID
biography/Peter-Guthrie-Tait
FAST ID
130615
Find a Grave memorial ID
93129635
Freebase ID
/m/01l_mb
Gazetteer for Scotland person ID
832
Gran Enciclopèdia Catalana ID
peter-guthrie-tait
Gran Enciclopèdia Catalana ID (former scheme)
0064963
ISFDB author ID
141132
IdRef ID
028526961
J9U entity ID
987007268865905171
Kalliope-Verbund (GND) ID
117197874
Libraries Australia ID
35990657
LibriVox author ID
15715
Libris-URI
97mprn2t0p5fpwl
MR Author ID
310569
MacTutor biography ID
Tait
Mathematics Genealogy Project ID
289405
NACSIS-CAT author ID
DA04216690
NDL Authority ID
00766014
NL CR AUT ID
mub2014840246
NLA Trove people ID
1175841
NNDB people ID
394/000098100
NUKAT ID
n94110099
National Library of Greece ID
140959
National Library of Ireland ID
vtls000258403
National Library of Israel ID (old)
000129493
National Library of Latvia ID
000291413
National Library of Poland MMS ID
9810574345505606
National Library of Portugal ID
48571
National Library of Wales Authority ID
tait-peter-guthrie-1831-1901
National Portrait Gallery (London) person ID
mp94825
National Virtual Library of India ID
600k (600k–611k, n=3)
Nationale Thesaurus voor Auteursnamen ID
074792237
Online Books Page author ID
Tait, Peter Guthrie, 1831-1901
Open Library ID
OL2499089A
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography ID
36407
Parsifal cluster ID
850069
Poincaré Papers person ID
554
Project Gutenberg author ID
57893
SBN author ID
PUVV164050
SELIBR ID
238735
SHARE Catalogue author ID
6564
SNAC ARK ID
w6w097hx
SNARC ID
Candlemas Islands
Treccani ID
peter-guthrie-tait
UK National Archives ID
F41399
University of Barcelona authority ID
981058524214106706
University of Barcelona authority ID (former scheme)
a1024729
Vatican Library VcBA ID
495/363567
Wellcome Collection concept ID
swa9scbh
WikiTree person ID
Tait-2626
WorldCat Entities ID
E39PBJmXKVmFRRtKH4tDXj74MP
Yale LUX ID
person/70cd69de-0cf2-49d9-97d1-10313210a4a7
ZbMATH author ID
tait.peter-guthrie

Report an error or request removal Lineage (PROV-JSON)

🔗 Connections
Award received 6
honorary degree, Royal Medal, Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Keith Medal, Smith's Prize, Gunning Victoria Jubilee Prize
Described by source 5
Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary, Encyclopædia Britannica 11th edition, The Nuttall Encyclopædia, Granat Encyclopedic Dictionary, BEIC Digital Library
Educated at 4
University of Cambridge, University of Edinburgh, Peterhouse, Edinburgh Academy
Employer 3
University of Edinburgh, Queen's University Belfast, Peterhouse
Notable work 3
knot theory, snark, Ménage problem
Student 3
Alexander Macfarlane, Peter Redford Scott Lang, William Peddie
Students 3
Alexander Macfarlane, Peter Redford Scott Lang, William Peddie
Field of work 2
thermodynamics, mathematical physics
Member of 2
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Royal Society of Edinburgh
Occupation 2
mathematician, physicist
Country of citizenship 1
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
Doctoral advisor 1
William Hopkins
Doctoral advisors 1
William Hopkins
Given name 1
Peter
Instance of 1
human
Languages spoken, written or signed 1
English
Maintained by WikiProject 1
WikiProject Mathematics
Named after 1
Tait's conjecture
Place of birth 1
Dalkeith
Place of death 1
Edinburgh
SNARC ID 1
Candlemas Islands
Sex or gender 1
male
Work location 1
Scotland
Writing language 1
English
← Discoverer or inventor 1
Tait's conjecture
Press Enter · cited answer in seconds

Peter Guthrie Tait was a mathematician and physicist[1] born on April 28, 1831, in Dalkeith[2][3][4][5]. A citizen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, he was educated at the Edinburgh Academy, the University of Edinburgh, the University of Cambridge, and Peterhouse[3]. He died on July 4, 1901, in Edinburgh[2][3][4][5] and was buried at St John's Episcopal Churchyard, Princes Street, Edinburgh[6]. He had a child named Frederick Guthrie Tait[3].

Working in the fields of mathematical physics and thermodynamics[7], Tait held academic positions at Peterhouse from 1852 to 1854[3], Queen's University Belfast from 1854 to 1860[3], and the University of Edinburgh from 1860 to 1901[3]. Over the course of his career, he received several honors, including the Smith's Prize, the Royal Medal, the Keith Medal, the Gunning Victoria Jubilee Prize, an honorary degree, and a fellowship as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh[3][8].

Body

Works and Contributions

Things named for Peter Guthrie Tait include Tait's conjecture[51], a failed hypothesis[52].

Why It Matters

Peter Guthrie Tait is credited with the discovery of Tait's conjecture[53], a failed hypothesis[54]. Entities named for him include Tait's conjecture[51], a failed hypothesis[52].

FAQs

Where was Peter Guthrie Tait born?

Peter Guthrie Tait's place of birth was Dalkeith[2].

Where did Peter Guthrie Tait die?

Peter Guthrie Tait died in Edinburgh[4].

What did Peter Guthrie Tait do for work?

Peter Guthrie Tait worked as a mathematician[5] and physicist[6].

Where did Peter Guthrie Tait go to school?

Peter Guthrie Tait was educated at University of Edinburgh[15], Peterhouse[16], Edinburgh Academy[17], and University of Cambridge[18].

What awards did Peter Guthrie Tait receive?

Honors received include Royal Medal[33], honorary degree[34], Keith Medal[35], and Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh[36].

What did Peter Guthrie Tait discover?

Peter Guthrie Tait is credited as discoverer of Tait's conjecture[53].

Related Entities

knot theory Scotland thermodynamics United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

  1. [2] ↑ . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  2. [4] ↑ . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  3. [41] ↑ . BnF authorities. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  4. [9] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  5. [8] ↑ . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  6. [15] ↑ . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  7. [16] ↑ . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  8. [17] ↑ . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  9. [18] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  10. [10] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  11. [11] ↑ . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  12. [5] ↑ . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  13. [6] ↑ . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  14. [12] ↑ . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  15. [13] ↑ . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  16. [14] ↑ . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  17. [7] ↑ . Find a Grave. wikidata.org.
  18. [33] ↑ . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  19. [34] ↑ . Queen’s University Belfast (formerly Queen’s College Belfast) Honorary Degrees 1871-2019. qub.ac.uk. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  20. [35] ↑ . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  21. [36] ↑ . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  22. [37] ↑ . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  23. [38] ↑ . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  24. [19] ↑ . Mathematics Genealogy Project. wikidata.org.
  25. [39] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  26. [40] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  27. [1] ↑ . BnF authorities. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  28. [3] ↑ . BnF authorities. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  29. [42] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  30. [43] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  31. [44] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  32. [24] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  33. [25] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  34. [26] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  35. [27] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  36. [28] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  37. [29] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  38. [30] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  39. [31] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  40. [32] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  41. [20] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  42. [21] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  43. [22] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  44. [23] ↑ . doi.org. doi.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  45. [45] ↑ . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  46. [46] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  47. [47] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  48. [48] ↑ . digitale.beic.it. digitale.beic.it. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  49. [49] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  50. [50] ↑ . wikidata.org.

Inverse relationships (entities pointing at this one)

  1. [53] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [51] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site

Inline context (facts about related entities)

  1. [54] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [52] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site

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Use these citations when quoting this entity in research, articles, AI prompts, or wherever provenance matters. We aggregate Wikidata + Wikipedia + authoritative open-data sources; the stitched, scored, cross-referenced view is what 4ort.xyz contributes.

APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). Peter Guthrie Tait. Retrieved November 12, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/peter-guthrie-tait
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BibTeX @misc{4ortxyz_peter-guthrie-tait_2026, author = {{4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph}}, title = {{Peter Guthrie Tait}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://4ort.xyz/entity/peter-guthrie-tait}, note = {Accessed: 2026-11-12}}
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Edit History

Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

  1. 3d ago · Printstream · 2026-11-10 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    "Changed the item: QuickStatements 3.0 batch #65769: add GND as source to unsourced or imported places and occupations"
  2. 4w ago · Wikiman2230 · 2026-10-12 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Image → Tait Peter Guthrie (cropped).jpg, Peter Guthrie Tait. Etching by W. Hole, 1884. Wellcome V0005, Peter Guthrie Tait.jpg +1
    "Changed claim: Image: Tait Peter Guthrie (cropped).jpg"
  3. 5w ago · Ferran Mir · 2026-10-08 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Student → William Peddie, Peter Redford Scott Lang, Alexander Macfarlane +1
    "Created claim: Student: Alexander G. Burgess"
  4. 15w ago · KrBot bot · 2026-07-26 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Notable work → knot theory, Tait conjectures, Tait equation +2
    "Changed claim: Notable work: Tait-Bryan angles, разрешение перенаправления / resolving redirect Tait-Bryan angles → Tait-Bryan angles (…"
  5. 25w ago · Quesotiotyo · 2026-05-20 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Darwin Correspondence ID → 4652
    "Created claim: Darwin Correspondence ID: 4652, batch #258229"
  6. 27w ago · Sj1mor · 2026-05-01 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Plaque image → Memorial plaque to Peter Guthrie Tait, St Johns Episcopal Ch
    "Created claim: Plaque image: Memorial plaque to Peter Guthrie Tait, St Johns Episcopal Church, Edinburgh.JPG"
Live feed via Wikidata EventStreams. New edits appear within minutes of being made on Wikidata.