Edward Griffith Begle (November 27, 1914 – March 2, 1978) was a

mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change. History On ...

best known for his role as the director of the

School Mathematics Study Group The School Mathematics Study Group (SMSG) was an American academic think tank focused on the subject of reform in mathematics education. Directed by Edward G. Begle and financed by the National Science Foundation, the group was created in the wak ...

(SMSG), the primary group credited for developing what came to be known as The New Math. Begle was a topologist and a researcher in mathematics education who served as a member of the faculty of

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

, The University of Michigan, and

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

. Begle was also elected as the secretary of the

American Mathematical Society The American Mathematical Society (AMS) is an association of professional mathematicians dedicated to the interests of mathematical research and scholarship, and serves the national and international community through its publications, meetings, ...

in 1951, and he held the position for 6 years.

Biography

Edward G. Begle was born November 27, 1914 in

Saginaw, Michigan Saginaw () is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw and Saginaw County are both in the area known as Mid-Michigan. Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township and considered part of Greater ...

. Studying at the University of Michigan, Begle earned his

A.B. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

in Mathematics in 1936 and his M.A. in 1938. Begle's early academic work was in the field of topology, which is where he earned his

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...

at Princeton, studying under Solomon Lefschetz in 1940. While Begle's contributions to the field of mathematical research are limited, among them is the first proof of the Vietoris theorem, which caused it to become commonly known as the

Vietoris–Begle mapping theorem The Vietoris–Begle mapping theorem is a result in the mathematics, mathematical field of algebraic topology. It is named for Leopold Vietoris and Edward G. Begle. The statement of the theorem, below, is as formulated by Stephen Smale. Theorem Le ...

. Begle departed Princeton a year after completing his doctorate to spend a year as a Fellow of the

National Research Council National Research Council may refer to: * National Research Council (Canada), sponsoring research and development * National Research Council (Italy), scientific and technological research, Rome * National Research Council (United States), part of ...

, after which he joined the faculty of Yale in 1942. Begle's interest in mathematics education is apparent in his early mathematics texts, where the writing departs from the tradition at the time of writing textbooks addressed to accomplished mathematicians. Instead, Begle's introductory mathematics texts actually address freshman mathematicians, a revolutionary concept in teaching math. As Begle's stature increased as an educator within the field of mathematics, he gained notice within his field and was elected secretary of the American Mathematical Society in 1951. In the wake of

Sputnik Sputnik 1 (; see § Etymology) was the first artificial Earth satellite. It was launched into an elliptical low Earth orbit by the Soviet Union on 4 October 1957 as part of the Soviet space program. It sent a radio signal back to Earth for t ...

in 1958, Begle gained the directorship of the School Mathematics Study Group, a post he would hold for 15 years. Under his leadership, the SMSG published numerous reports and studies, culminating in its series of books detailing the teaching revolution known as The New Math. It was in this capacity that in 1961, Begle took on an appointment as professor in the School of Education at Stanford as well as a courtesy appointment in the Stanford Department of Mathematics. Also in 1961, Begle was awarded with the Mathematical Association of America's highest honor: The Award for Distinguished Service to Mathematics. At the time of his death in 1978, Begle was working on a compilation of the results of his 15-year tenure as the director of the SMSG and a culmination of his lifetime of experience in mathematics education. Published posthumously in 1979, ''Critical Variables in Mathematics Education: Findings from a Survey of the Empirical Literature'' was listed by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics as Begle's most influential work.

Bibliography

* 1951 ''Introductory calculus, with analytic geometry'', Holt, Rinehart and Winston, revised edition 1960, Holt, Rinehart and Winston * 1955 ''Freshman mathematics at Yale University, (National Science Foundation)'', Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College * 1955 ''Lectures on experimental programs in collegiate mathematics, (National Science Foundation)'', Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College * 1964 ''Cooperative research project no. F-037: Final report. I. Conference on Mathematics Education for Below Average Achievers. II. Writing experience for potential ... participation in a group writing project'',

Stanford University Press Stanford University Press (SUP) is the publishing house of Stanford University. It is one of the oldest academic presses in the United States and the first university press to be established on the West Coast. It was among the presses officially ...

* 1971 ''Calculus'', Holt, Rinehart and Winston * 1972 ''Teacher knowledge and student achievement in algebra'',

* 1972 ''Teacher effectiveness in mathematics instruction (NLSMA reports)'', Available from A.C. Vroman * 1972 ''The prediction of mathematics achievement (NLSMA reports)'', Available from A.C. Vroman * 1975 ''The mathematics of the elementary school'',

McGraw-Hill McGraw Hill is an American educational publishing company and one of the "big three" educational publishers that publishes educational content, software, and services for pre-K through postgraduate education. The company also publishes referenc ...

* 1979 ''Critical Variables in Mathematics Education: Findings from a Survey of the Empirical Literature'',

Mathematical Association of America The Mathematical Association of America (MAA) is a professional society that focuses on mathematics accessible at the undergraduate level. Members include university, college, and high school teachers; graduate and undergraduate students; pure a ...

References

NCTM Biography of Edward Griffith Begle

List of Books by Edward Griffith Begle

Mathematics Genealogy Project Entry on Edward Griffith Begle

Edward G. Begle Memorial Resolution
{{DEFAULTSORT:Begle, Edward G. 1914 births 1978 deaths People from Saginaw, Michigan University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts alumni Stanford Graduate School of Education faculty Princeton University faculty University of Michigan faculty Yale University faculty Stanford University Department of Mathematics faculty 20th-century American mathematicians Mathematicians from Michigan