mathematics

Mayme Logsdon

Mayme Logsdon 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 Mayme Logsdon rather than just read about it. In short: Mayme Farmer Irwin Logsdon (February 1, 1881 – July 4, 1967) was an American mathematician known for her research in algebraic geometry and mathematics education. She was the first woman to receive tenure in the University of Chicago mathematics department.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Mayme Farmer Irwin Logsdon (February 1, 1881 – July 4, 1967) was an American mathematician known for her research in algebraic geometry and mathematics education. She was the first woman to receive tenure in the University of Chicago mathematics department.

Career Logsdon taught at a high school from 1900 to 1911 before she decided to return to school herself. She earned a Ph.B., S.M., and Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Chicago in 1913, 1915, and 1921 respectively. Her doctoral advisor was L. E. Dickson. She taught at Hastings College from 1913 to 1917 and at Northwestern University from 1917 to 1919. She then returned to her alma mater in 1921 where she was the only female regular faculty member above the rank of instructor until 1982 when Karen Uhlenbeck was appointed professor of mathematics. Logsdon remained at the University of Chicago for a large portion of her career, until 1946, when Univ. of Chicago forced her to retire at 65 years old. She moved to Florida and continued her career by teaching another 15 years at University of Miami, retiring in 1961. Students at the University of Chicago include Anna A. Stafford (Henriques) (PhD), James Edward Case (PhD), Clyde Harvey Graves (PhD), Frank Ayres Jr (PhD) and Abba Verbeck Newton (MS). Logsdon wrote two texts Elementary Mathematical Analysis (1932 volume 1 and 1933 volume 2) and A Mathematician Explains (1st edition 1935; 2nd edition 1936) both for undergraduate mathematics. Logsdon was a fellow of the International Education Board, a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Mathematical Society, the Mathematical Association of America, and the director of the American Association of University Women (1929–1935).

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Mayme Logsdon

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Mayme Logsdon 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 Mayme Logsdon 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 Mayme Logsdon 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 Mayme Logsdon

In research: Mayme Logsdon 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 Mayme Logsdon 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: Mayme Logsdon is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1881 births, 1967 deaths, 20th-century American mathematicians, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Mayme Logsdon 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 Mayme Logsdon in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Mayme Logsdon 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 Mayme Logsdon out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Mayme Logsdon in simple terms?

Why does Mayme Logsdon 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 Mayme Logsdon?

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 Mayme Logsdon.