born March 26, 1773, Salem, Mass., U.S.
died March 16, 1838, Boston, Mass.
U.S. mathematician and astronomer.
He was largely self-educated. After investigating the accuracy of J.H. Moore's The Practical Navigator , he produced a revised edition in 1799. In 1802 he published The New American Practical Navigator ; adopted by the U.S. Department of the Navy, it was recognized as the best navigation text of its time. He translated and updated four volumes of Pierre-Simon Laplace 's Celestial Mechanics (1829–39). He discovered the Bowditch curves (describing the motion of a pendulum), which have important applications in astronomy and physics. He refused professorships at several universities and instead worked for insurance companies.