Gertrude Blanch
Encyclopedia
Gertrude Blanch was an American
mathematician
who did pioneering work in numerical analysis
and computation
.
Blanch was born Gittel Kaimowitz in Kolno, Russia
(now Kolno, Poland
), arrived in the United States as a child, and attended public schools in New York City
. She spent fourteen years as a clerk, saving money for school. She received her B.S. in mathematics (minor in physics) from New York University
in 1932. She received her Ph.D. from Cornell University
in algebraic geometry
in 1935.
For a while she worked as a substitute teacher at Hunter College
; then, in 1938, she began work on the Mathematical Tables Project
of the WPA
, for which she was technical director. This entailed designing algorithms that were executed by teams of human computers under her direction. Many of these computers possessed only rudimentary mathematical skills, but the algorithms and error checking in the Mathematical Tables Project were sufficiently well designed that their output defined the standard for transcendental function
solution for decades. This project later became the Computation Laboratory of the National Bureau of Standards.
During World War II
, she worked for the Office for Scientific Research and Development, and she oversaw calculations for the Army, Navy, Manhattan Project
and other institutions.
After the war, Blanch's career was hampered by FBI suspicions that she was secretly a communist. Their evidence for this seems scarce, and included, for example, the observation that she had never married or had children. In what must have been a remarkable showdown, the diminutive fifty-year-old mathematician demanded, and won, a hearing to clear her name.
Subsequently, she worked for the Institute for Numerical Analysis at UCLA and the Aerospace Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
in Dayton, Ohio
. She was one of the founders of the ACM
.
She published over thirty papers on functional approximation
, numerical analysis and Mathieu function
s. In 1962, she was elected a Fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science
.
Blanch retired in 1967 at the age of 69, but continued working under a consulting contract for the Air Force for another year. Thereafter she moved to San Diego and continued to work on numerical solutions of Mathieu function
s until her death in 1996, concentrating on the use of continued fraction
s to achieve highly accurate results in a small number of computational steps. This work has not been published.
The Gertrude Blanch Papers, 1932-1996 are stored at the Charles Babbage Institute
, University of Minnesota
, Minneapolis.
Note: The year of birth is given as both 1897 and 1898.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
who did pioneering work in numerical analysis
Numerical analysis
Numerical analysis is the study of algorithms that use numerical approximation for the problems of mathematical analysis ....
and computation
Computation
Computation is defined as any type of calculation. Also defined as use of computer technology in Information processing.Computation is a process following a well-defined model understood and expressed in an algorithm, protocol, network topology, etc...
.
Blanch was born Gittel Kaimowitz in Kolno, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
(now Kolno, Poland
Kolno
Kolno is a town in northeastern Poland, located in the Podlaskie Voivodeship, about 150 km northeast of Warsaw. It is the seat of Kolno County, and the seat of the smaller administrative district called Gmina Kolno, but it is not part of this district, as the town has gmina status in its own...
), arrived in the United States as a child, and attended public schools in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. She spent fourteen years as a clerk, saving money for school. She received her B.S. in mathematics (minor in physics) from New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
in 1932. She received her Ph.D. from Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
in algebraic geometry
Algebraic geometry
Algebraic geometry is a branch of mathematics which combines techniques of abstract algebra, especially commutative algebra, with the language and the problems of geometry. It occupies a central place in modern mathematics and has multiple conceptual connections with such diverse fields as complex...
in 1935.
For a while she worked as a substitute teacher at Hunter College
Hunter College
Hunter College, established in 1870, is a public university and one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York, located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Hunter grants undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate degrees in more than one hundred fields of study, and is recognized...
; then, in 1938, she began work on the Mathematical Tables Project
Mathematical Tables Project
The Mathematical Tables Project was one of the largest and most sophisticated computing organizations that operated prior to the invention of the digital electronic computer. Begun in 1938 as a project of the Works Progress Administration , it employed 450 out-of-work clerks to tabulate higher...
of the WPA
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
, for which she was technical director. This entailed designing algorithms that were executed by teams of human computers under her direction. Many of these computers possessed only rudimentary mathematical skills, but the algorithms and error checking in the Mathematical Tables Project were sufficiently well designed that their output defined the standard for transcendental function
Transcendental function
A transcendental function is a function that does not satisfy a polynomial equation whose coefficients are themselves polynomials, in contrast to an algebraic function, which does satisfy such an equation...
solution for decades. This project later became the Computation Laboratory of the National Bureau of Standards.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, she worked for the Office for Scientific Research and Development, and she oversaw calculations for the Army, Navy, Manhattan Project
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a research and development program, led by the United States with participation from the United Kingdom and Canada, that produced the first atomic bomb during World War II. From 1942 to 1946, the project was under the direction of Major General Leslie Groves of the US Army...
and other institutions.
After the war, Blanch's career was hampered by FBI suspicions that she was secretly a communist. Their evidence for this seems scarce, and included, for example, the observation that she had never married or had children. In what must have been a remarkable showdown, the diminutive fifty-year-old mathematician demanded, and won, a hearing to clear her name.
Subsequently, she worked for the Institute for Numerical Analysis at UCLA and the Aerospace Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base in Greene and Montgomery counties in the state of Ohio. It includes both Wright and Patterson Fields, which were originally Wilbur Wright Field and Fairfield Aviation General Supply Depot. Patterson Field is located approximately...
in Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
. She was one of the founders of the ACM
Association for Computing Machinery
The Association for Computing Machinery is a learned society for computing. It was founded in 1947 as the world's first scientific and educational computing society. Its membership is more than 92,000 as of 2009...
.
She published over thirty papers on functional approximation
Hybrid functional
Hybrid functionals are a class of approximations to the exchange-correlation energy functional in density functional theory that incorporate a portion of exact exchange from Hartree-Fock theory with exchange and correlation from other sources...
, numerical analysis and Mathieu function
Mathieu function
In mathematics, the Mathieu functions are certain special functions useful for treating a variety of problems in applied mathematics, including*vibrating elliptical drumheads,*quadrupoles mass filters and quadrupole ion traps for mass spectrometry...
s. In 1962, she was elected a Fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
.
Blanch retired in 1967 at the age of 69, but continued working under a consulting contract for the Air Force for another year. Thereafter she moved to San Diego and continued to work on numerical solutions of Mathieu function
Mathieu function
In mathematics, the Mathieu functions are certain special functions useful for treating a variety of problems in applied mathematics, including*vibrating elliptical drumheads,*quadrupoles mass filters and quadrupole ion traps for mass spectrometry...
s until her death in 1996, concentrating on the use of continued fraction
Continued fraction
In mathematics, a continued fraction is an expression obtained through an iterative process of representing a number as the sum of its integer part and the reciprocal of another number, then writing this other number as the sum of its integer part and another reciprocal, and so on...
s to achieve highly accurate results in a small number of computational steps. This work has not been published.
The Gertrude Blanch Papers, 1932-1996 are stored at the Charles Babbage Institute
Charles Babbage Institute
The Charles Babbage Institute is a research center at the University of Minnesota specializing in the history of information technology, particularly the history since 1935 of digital computing, programming/software, and computer networking....
, University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
, Minneapolis.
Note: The year of birth is given as both 1897 and 1898.
External links
- "Gertrude Blanch", Biographies of Women Mathematicians, Agnes Scott CollegeAgnes Scott CollegeAgnes Scott College is a private undergraduate college in the United States. Agnes Scott's campus lies in downtown Decatur, Georgia, nestled inside the perimeter of the bustling metro-Atlanta area....
- Gertrude Blanch Papers, 1932-1996 Charles Babbage InstituteCharles Babbage InstituteThe Charles Babbage Institute is a research center at the University of Minnesota specializing in the history of information technology, particularly the history since 1935 of digital computing, programming/software, and computer networking....
, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.