science

Purchase line

Purchase line is a science 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 Purchase line rather than just read about it. In short: The Purchase Line is the name commonly given to the line dividing Indian from British Colonial lands established in the Treaty of Fort Stanwix of 1768 in western Pennsylvania. In New York State documents, it is referred to as the Line of Property.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

The Purchase Line is the name commonly given to the line dividing Indian from British Colonial lands established in the Treaty of Fort Stanwix of 1768 in western Pennsylvania. In New York State documents, it is referred to as the Line of Property. That article contains the treaty text and other sections.

History The relevant section of the treaty reads:

"from thence" (Kittanning) "a direct Line to the nearest Fork of the west branch of Susquehanna" This line was not clearly defined until in a meeting between Indian and Pennsylvania representatives in 1773 at the well-known "Canoe Place" or upper limit of canoe navigation on the Susquehanna at its confluence with Cush Cushion Creek at present-day Cherry Tree, Pennsylvania. This was agreed to as the "nearest point" of the treaty. This became the tri-point between present-day Clearfield, Cambria, and Indiana counties, although the borough of Cherry Tree, Pennsylvania was later included entirely in Indiana for convenience. The line is still a boundary through most of its length: in Armstrong County running ESE from Kittanning it separates the townships of Rayburn and Valley (north) from Manor and Kittanning (south). There is gap through the town of Cowanshannock, but at the knick point of the boundary between Armstrong County and Indiana County the line begins again, separating the Indiana County townships of South Mahoning, East Mahoning, Grant and Montgomery (north) from Washington, Rayne and Green (south). The hamlet of Purchase Line is on PA 286 in Green township just south of the actual line.

Maps

References "The Documentary History of the State of New York", by E.B. O'Callaghan, M.D.; Albany: Weed, Parsons & Co., 1850 (Vol. 1 pp. 379–381 text of treaty)

External links Purchase Line, PA is at coordinates 40.73639°N 78.92917°W / 40.73639; -78.92917 (Purchase Line) Cherry Tree, PA is at coordinates 40.72491°N 78.80619°W / 40.72491; -78.80619 (Cherry Tree) Kittanning, PA is at coordinates 40.81639°N 79.52222°W / 40.81639; -79.52222 (Kittanning)

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Purchase line

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Purchase line claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, 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 Purchase line 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 Purchase line 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 Purchase line

In research: Purchase line appears in science 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 Purchase line 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: Purchase line is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Aboriginal title in the United States, Borders, Pre-statehood history of Pennsylvania, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Purchase line 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.

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Purchase line in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Purchase line in simple terms?

Why does Purchase line matter?

Because it connects several science 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 Purchase line?

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 Purchase line.