Levi L. Conant
Encyclopedia
Levi Leonard Conant was an American
mathematician
specializing in trigonometry
.
(B.A., 1879, A.M., 1887) and later Syracuse University
(Ph.D., 1893), studying mathematics.
He was professor of mathematics at the Dakota School of Mines
from 1887 to 1890, then attended Clark University
for a year before beginning teaching at Worcester Polytechnic Institute
(WPI) in Worcester, Massachusetts
in 1891, where he taught for the remainder of his life.
He was head of the Mathematics Dept. at WPI from 1908 until his death, and was interim president from 1911 to 1913. He married twice, first in 1884 to Laura Chamberlain (died 1911) and again in 1912 to Emma B. Fisher.
On October 11, 1916, aged 59, he was struck by a truck in front of his home and was killed.
, focusing on the analysis of Native American
number systems from a generally cultural evolutionist
theoretical perspective. Conant's ethnographic data generally reflected the limited development of anthropology at the time.
Conant's characterization of the numeral systems of Native American languages as 'primitive' or 'savage' is not widely accepted today. Conant's work, however, influenced scholars such as Lucien Lévy-Bruhl
, and represented the first systematic comparative analysis of numeral systems of North America.
in his will, which was disbursed in 1976 following the death of Conant's second wife. In 2000 the Society established a yearly prize in his name to honor the best expository paper published in the Bulletin of the AMS or the Notices of the AMS in the past five years.
}
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....
specializing in trigonometry
Trigonometry
Trigonometry is a branch of mathematics that studies triangles and the relationships between their sides and the angles between these sides. Trigonometry defines the trigonometric functions, which describe those relationships and have applicability to cyclical phenomena, such as waves...
.
Education and career
He was born in and attended Dartmouth CollegeDartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
(B.A., 1879, A.M., 1887) and later Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
(Ph.D., 1893), studying mathematics.
He was professor of mathematics at the Dakota School of Mines
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
The South Dakota School of Mines and Technology is a public institution of higher learning in Rapid City, South Dakota governed by the South Dakota Board of Regents. Founded in 1885 as the Dakota School of Mines, Tech offers degree programs in engineering and science fields. 2,354 students were...
from 1887 to 1890, then attended Clark University
Clark University
Clark University is a private research university and liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts.Founded in 1887, it is the oldest educational institution founded as an all-graduate university. Clark now also educates undergraduates...
for a year before beginning teaching at Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester Polytechnic Institute is a private university located in Worcester, Massachusetts, in the United States.Founded in 1865 in Worcester, WPI was one of the United States' first engineering and technology universities...
(WPI) in Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
in 1891, where he taught for the remainder of his life.
He was head of the Mathematics Dept. at WPI from 1908 until his death, and was interim president from 1911 to 1913. He married twice, first in 1884 to Laura Chamberlain (died 1911) and again in 1912 to Emma B. Fisher.
On October 11, 1916, aged 59, he was struck by a truck in front of his home and was killed.
The Number Concept
Conant's most significant work was his 1896 book The Number Concept: Its Origin and Development. This was a seminal work in the anthropological and psychological study of numeralsNumeral system
A numeral system is a writing system for expressing numbers, that is a mathematical notation for representing numbers of a given set, using graphemes or symbols in a consistent manner....
, focusing on the analysis of Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
number systems from a generally cultural evolutionist
Cultural evolutionism
Cultural evolutionism attempts to describe and explain long-term change in human ways of life, insofar as those ways are socially rather than biologically acquired...
theoretical perspective. Conant's ethnographic data generally reflected the limited development of anthropology at the time.
Conant's characterization of the numeral systems of Native American languages as 'primitive' or 'savage' is not widely accepted today. Conant's work, however, influenced scholars such as Lucien Lévy-Bruhl
Lucien Lévy-Bruhl
Lucien Lévy-Brühl was a French scholar trained in philosophy, who made contributions to the budding fields of sociology and ethnology. His primary field of study involved primitive mentality....
, and represented the first systematic comparative analysis of numeral systems of North America.
Legacy
Conant left $10,000 to the American Mathematical SocietyAmerican Mathematical Society
The American Mathematical Society is an association of professional mathematicians dedicated to the interests of mathematical research and scholarship, which it does with various publications and conferences as well as annual monetary awards and prizes to mathematicians.The society is one of the...
in his will, which was disbursed in 1976 following the death of Conant's second wife. In 2000 the Society established a yearly prize in his name to honor the best expository paper published in the Bulletin of the AMS or the Notices of the AMS in the past five years.
Major works
- The Number Concept: Its Origin and Development (1896)
- Original Exercises in Plane and Solid Geometry (1905)
- Plane and Spherical Trigonometry (1909)
External links
}