mathematics

Marion Ballantyne White

Marion Ballantyne White 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 Marion Ballantyne White rather than just read about it. In short: Marion Ballantyne White (1871–1958) was an American mathematician and university professor. She was one of the few American women to earn her doctorate in mathematics before World War II.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Marion Ballantyne White (1871–1958) was an American mathematician and university professor. She was one of the few American women to earn her doctorate in mathematics before World War II.

Biography Marion White was born March 28, 1871, in Peoria, Illinois to two teachers, Jennie E. McLaren and Samuel Holmes White. After her secondary school studies in Peoria, she attended Smith College in 1888 but left after one year to teach at a public school in Peoria. From 1890 to 1893 she studied at the University of Michigan, where she received a Bachelor of Philosophy degree in 1893. She then taught high school in Pueblo, Colorado for two years, before returning to join the faculty at Peoria High School. From 1901 to 1908 she taught at the University of Illinois, and in 1906 she earned her master's degree from the University of Wisconsin. From 1908 to 1910 she earned her doctorate in mathematics at the University of Chicago under the direction of Gilbert Ames Bliss as his third doctoral student. Her dissertation was titled: The Dependence of the Focal Point on Curvature in Space Problems of the Calculus of Variations. She began teaching at the University of Kansas in 1910. In 1914 she relocated to Michigan State Normal College (now Eastern Michigan University) in Ypsilanti, Michigan and assumed the position of associate professor of mathematics and dean of women until 1918 when she went on to teach at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota. She was dean of women there from 1922 to 1924 and also served as associate professor until 1937. After her retirement at 66 in 1937, she moved to Pasadena, California, where she spent the last two decades of her life. Marion White died there on January 30, 1958. After she died the Carleton alumni magazine said "she was an especially successful classroom teacher known... for the personal stimulus and encouragement she gave the students.".

Selected publications 1907 The asymptotic lines on the anchor ring. Ann. of Math. 2nd ser., 8:103-117. Published version of MA thesis. Reviews: JFM 38.0662.01 (P. Zuhlke); Rev. semestr. publ. math. 16, pt. 1: 11 (W. A. Wythoff). 1910 The Dependence of the Focal Point on Curvature in Space Problems of the Calculus of Variations. PhD dissertation, University of Chicago, directed by Gilbert Ames Bliss. Printed version, 1912, New Era Printing Co., Lancaster, PA, reprinted from Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 13:175-198. 1912 The Dependence of Focal Points upon Curvature for Problems of the Calculus of Variations in Space. Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 13:175-198. Published version of PhD dissertation. Reviews: JFM 43.0464.02 (H. Hahn) 43:464-465; Rev. semestr. publ. math. 21, pt. 1: 7-8 (P. Mulder). Presented by J. N. Van der Vries as The Dependence of the Focal Point on Curvature in Space Problems in the Calculus of Variations to the AMS, St. Louis, MO, 2 Dec 1911; abstract: Bull. Amer. Math. Soc. 18:234 #5.

Memberships According to Judy Green, Wiggin belonged to several professional societies.

American Mathematical Society Mathematical Association of America American Association of University Women Phi Beta Kappa Sigma Xi

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Marion Ballantyne White

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Marion Ballantyne White 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 Marion Ballantyne White 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 Marion Ballantyne White 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 Marion Ballantyne White

In research: Marion Ballantyne White 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 Marion Ballantyne White 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: Marion Ballantyne White is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1871 births, 1958 deaths, 20th-century American educators, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Marion Ballantyne White 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 Marion Ballantyne White in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Marion Ballantyne White 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.
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Frequently asked questions

What is Marion Ballantyne White in simple terms?

Marion Ballantyne White (1871–1958) was an American mathematician and university professor. She was one of the few American women to earn her doctorate in mathematics before World War II.

Why does Marion Ballantyne White 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 Marion Ballantyne White?

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 Marion Ballantyne White.