mathematics

Samuel L. Greitzer

Samuel L. Greitzer 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 Samuel L. Greitzer rather than just read about it. In short: Samuel L. Greitzer (August 10, 1905 – February 22, 1988) was an American mathematician, the founding chairman of the United States of America Mathematical Olympiad, and the publisher of the precollege mathematics journal Arbelos.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Samuel L. Greitzer (August 10, 1905 – February 22, 1988) was an American mathematician, the founding chairman of the United States of America Mathematical Olympiad, and the publisher of the precollege mathematics journal Arbelos. Together with H.S.M. Coxeter in 1967, Greitzer coauthored the well-received textbook Geometry Revisited, which has remained in print for more than 40 years.

Biography Born in the Russian Empire, Greitzer moved to the United States in 1906, graduated from Stuyvesant High School, received his bachelor's degree in 1927 from City College of New York, and later earned a Ph.D. from Yeshiva University. He held academic positions at Yeshiva University, Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute, Columbia University, and Rutgers University. In the 1960s and 1970s, he directed a National Science Foundation summer program at Rutgers for high-ability high-school math students. Samuel Greitzer and his wife Ethel had one son. Samuel died on February 22, 1988, in Metuchen, New Jersey.

Selected publications Coxeter, H.S.M.; Greitzer, S.L. (1967). Geometry Revisited. Mathematical Association of America. ISBN 978-0-88385-619-2. Greitzer, S. (1973). "The First U.S.A. Mathematical Olympiad". American Mathematical Monthly. 80 (3): 276–281. doi:10.2307/2318449. JSTOR 2318449. Greitzer, Samuel (1979). International Mathematical Olympiads 1959–1977. Mathematical Association of America. ISBN 978-0-88385-627-7.

References

External links Richards, Joe; Crossfield, Don (2008). "Dear Professor Greitzer". Convergence. Mathematical Association of America.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Samuel L. Greitzer

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Samuel L. Greitzer 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 Samuel L. Greitzer 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 Samuel L. Greitzer 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 Samuel L. Greitzer

In research: Samuel L. Greitzer 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 Samuel L. Greitzer 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: Samuel L. Greitzer is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1905 births, 1988 deaths, 20th-century American mathematicians, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Samuel L. Greitzer 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 Samuel L. Greitzer in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Samuel L. Greitzer in simple terms?

Why does Samuel L. Greitzer 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 Samuel L. Greitzer?

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 Samuel L. Greitzer.