mathematics

John Howard Van Amringe

John Howard Van Amringe is a mathematics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand John Howard Van Amringe rather than just read about it. In short: John Howard Van Amringe (April 3, 1835 – September 10, 1915) was an American educator and mathematician. Life and career Van Amringe was born in Philadelphia on April 3, 1835.

Key takeaways

John Howard Van Amringe belongs to mathematics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect John Howard Van Amringe to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of John Howard Van Amringe from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

John Howard Van Amringe (April 3, 1835 – September 10, 1915) was an American educator and mathematician.

Life and career

Van Amringe was born in Philadelphia on April 3, 1835. He was a son of William Frederick Van Amringe (1791–1873) and Susan Budd (née Stirling) Van Amringe (1798–1891). Among his siblings was brother, Thomas Budd Van Amringe. He entered Columbia University in 1856 and graduated from the school with a degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1860. Three years later, he received a Master of Arts, and in 1890, he was made a Doctor of Literature. Amringe died on September 10, 1915 in Morristown, New Jersey.

Career While still an undergraduate, he taught mathematics at Columbia, taking his junior classes in Greek. He became a full-fledged member of the faculty in the fall of 1860, becoming a full professor in 1865 and teaching until his retirement in 1910. During 1864 to 1865, he was also a lecturer in the School of Mines. After serving as Dean of the School of Fine Arts in 1895, Van Amringe succeeded Seth Low to become the first Dean of Columbia College, the university's undergraduate school of arts and sciences, which he defended from dismemberment and incorporation into the larger university. During his long presence at the school, he made many addresses and enjoyed unrivaled popularity. Van Amringe also served as the first president of the American Mathematical Society from 1888 and 1890 and was a member of the New-York Historical Society and the American Society for the Advancement of Science. He is memorialized with a bust enshrined in a column-supported cupola on "Van Am Quad" in the southeastern portion of the campus, surrounded by three Columbia College dormitories (John Jay Hall, Hartley Hall, and Wallach Hall) and by the main College academic building, Hamilton Hall. The Memorial was built in 1917 and 1918, and was dedicated on Commencement Day in 1918.

Personal life

Van Amringe was married to Cornelia Bucknor (1838–1914), the daughter of William Goelet Bucknor. Cornelia was the great-granddaughter of Peter Goelet, a wealthy merchant and real estate entrepreneur in New York City. Together, Cornelia and John were the parents of:

Emily Van Amringe (1867–1955), who died not marry. Guy Van Amringe (1869–1936), a magistrate of the New York Municipal Court. Van Amringe died suddenly on September 10, 1915, at the Keeler House in Morristown, New Jersey. After a funeral conducted by the Rev. Dr. William T. Manning (later the 10th Bishop of New York), Rector of Trinity Church (where he was a Vestryman), he was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx.

Honors and legacy Van Amringe received a number of honorary degrees including Ph.D. from the University of the State of New York in 1877 and an LL.D. from Union College in 1895.

In honor of Van Amringe, Columbia University's Department of Mathematics has presented a "Van Amringe Mathematical Prize" each year (since 1911) to the best freshman or sophomore mathematics student, based on a very challenging examination.

References

External links O'Connor, John J.; Robertson, Edmund F., "John Howard Van Amringe", MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive, University of St Andrews

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with John Howard Van Amringe

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what John Howard Van Amringe claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In mathematics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to John Howard Van Amringe before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about John Howard Van Amringe ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of John Howard Van Amringe

In research: John Howard Van Amringe appears in mathematics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses John Howard Van Amringe in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: John Howard Van Amringe is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1835 births, 1915 deaths, 19th-century American mathematicians, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for John Howard Van Amringe outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study John Howard Van Amringe in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what John Howard Van Amringe means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain John Howard Van Amringe out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is John Howard Van Amringe in simple terms?

John Howard Van Amringe (April 3, 1835 – September 10, 1915) was an American educator and mathematician. Life and career Van Amringe was born in Philadelphia on April 3, 1835.

Why does John Howard Van Amringe matter?

Because it connects several mathematics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study John Howard Van Amringe?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on John Howard Van Amringe.