Philippa Fawcett

Philippa Fawcett (1868–1948) was an English mathematician and educator who scored higher than every candidate in the 1890 Cambridge Mathematical Tripos, but could not receive the title of senior wrangler because women were excluded from the degree rankings.

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Charlotte Angas Scott: Charlotte Angas Scott was a British mathematician who studied at Cambridge and helped advance women’s access to higher education. Scott also excelled in the Mathematical Tripos and became a contemporary advocate for women mathematicians.
Mathematical Tripos: The Mathematical Tripos was Cambridge University’s demanding examination and degree course in mathematics. Fawcett’s distinction came from ranking above all candidates in its 1890 examinations.
Women at the University of Cambridge: Women at the University of Cambridge were students and scholars whose access to university membership and degrees expanded gradually. Fawcett’s examination result became a prominent example of women’s unequal standing at Cambridge.
London School of Economics: The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university in London, founded in 1895. Fawcett joined the LSE’s early academic staff and helped establish its teaching in mathematics.
Isabel Maddison: Isabel Maddison was a British mathematician who studied at Girton College and later worked in the United States. Like Fawcett, Maddison belonged to the generation of women trained at Girton despite Cambridge’s degree restrictions.
Girton College: Girton College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, founded in 1869 as a college for women. Fawcett studied mathematics at Girton, one of the institutions that made her Cambridge education possible.
Cambridge University Act 1896: The Cambridge University Act 1896 was legislation concerning the governance and finances of the University of Cambridge. The act preceded Cambridge’s eventual decision to grant women degrees, a change Fawcett did not live to see.
Mathematics education: Mathematics education is the teaching and learning of mathematical ideas, methods, and reasoning. Fawcett’s career centered on teaching mathematics and improving educational opportunities.
Henry Sidgwick: Henry Sidgwick was an English philosopher and reformer who helped found Newnham College, Cambridge. Sidgwick’s support for women’s higher education helped create the institutional setting in which Fawcett studied.
Newnham College: Newnham College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, founded in 1871 for women students. Newnham was the other major Cambridge women’s college during Fawcett’s student years.