Misplaced Pages

Leslie Leland Locke: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editNext edit →Content deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 14:35, 3 January 2025 editTaphonomyMan (talk | contribs)102 editsmNo edit summaryTag: Visual edit← Previous edit Revision as of 15:52, 3 January 2025 edit undoTaphonomyMan (talk | contribs)102 edits Added Subsection on "Book collection and personal library". Still needs further working and citations.Tag: Visual editNext edit →
Line 45: Line 45:


=== Calculating machines === === Calculating machines ===
After his work on ''quipus'', Locke became interested in the history of the ]. He soon became an avid collector of these devices and amassed a collection of well over 100 items, at least one of which was thought to have been the first of its kind.<ref name=":1" /> Several of the more rare pieces in Locke's collection included:<ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Citation |last=Kidwell |first=Peggy Aldrich |title=Charter Members of the MAA and the Material Culture of American Mathematics |date=2016 |work=Research in History and Philosophy of Mathematics |pages=205–219 |editor-last=Zack |editor-first=Maria |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-3-319-46615-6_15 |access-date=2025-01-02 |place=Cham |publisher=Springer International Publishing |doi=10.1007/978-3-319-46615-6_15 |isbn=978-3-319-43269-4 |editor2-last=Landry |editor2-first=Elaine}}</ref> After his work on ''quipus'', Locke became interested in the history of the ]. He soon became an avid collector of these devices and amassed a collection of well over 100 items, at least one of which was thought to have been the first of its kind.<ref name=":1" /> Several of the more rare pieces in Locke's collection included:<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5">{{Citation |last=Kidwell |first=Peggy Aldrich |title=Charter Members of the MAA and the Material Culture of American Mathematics |date=2016 |work=Research in History and Philosophy of Mathematics |pages=205–219 |editor-last=Zack |editor-first=Maria |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-3-319-46615-6_15 |access-date=2025-01-02 |place=Cham |publisher=Springer International Publishing |doi=10.1007/978-3-319-46615-6_15 |isbn=978-3-319-43269-4 |editor2-last=Landry |editor2-first=Elaine}}</ref>


# The first direct multiplication machine (designed by ] in 1878) # The first direct multiplication machine (designed by ] in 1878)
Line 52: Line 52:


In 1939, Locke donated his large collection to the ].<ref name=":3" /> According to the Smithsonian, Locke had initially intended his collection to go to the ] in New York, however, the museum closed before he could do so.<ref name=":2" /> In 1939, Locke donated his large collection to the ].<ref name=":3" /> According to the Smithsonian, Locke had initially intended his collection to go to the ] in New York, however, the museum closed before he could do so.<ref name=":2" />

=== Book collection and personal library ===
] from Locke's personal library.]]
Over the course of his life, Locke acquired many books relating to mathematics and other personal topics of interest. Locke added a personalized ] to many of the books in his collection. The plate read "EX LIBIRS LESLIE LELAND LOCKE" ("From the library of Leslie Leland Locke").

⚫ Following his death, Locke left his collection of books on mathematics to his alma mater, ].<ref name=":1" /> The collection was eventually donated by the College to the ].<ref name=":5" />


==Death== ==Death==
Locke died at his home at 950 St. John's Place in ], on August 28, 1943.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":3">{{Cite journal |last=Karpinski |first=Louis C. |date=1943 |title=Leslie Leland Locke |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1669552 |journal=Science |volume=98 |issue=2543 |pages=274–275 |issn=0036-8075}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> Some sources describe his death as sudden,<ref name=":0" /> while others report that he died "after a long illness".<ref name=":1" /> Locke died at his home at 950 St. John's Place in ], on August 28, 1943.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":3">{{Cite journal |last=Karpinski |first=Louis C. |date=1943 |title=Leslie Leland Locke |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1669552 |journal=Science |volume=98 |issue=2543 |pages=274–275 |issn=0036-8075}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> Some sources describe his death as sudden,<ref name=":0" /> while others report that he died "after a long illness".<ref name=":1" />

⚫ Following his death, Locke left his collection of books on mathematics to his alma mater, ].<ref name=":1" />


==Major publications== ==Major publications==

Revision as of 15:52, 3 January 2025

American mathematician and educator, known for his work on deciphering ancient Andean quipus
Leslie Leland Locke
Born1875
Grove City, Pennsylvania
DiedAugust 28, 1943
Brooklyn, New York
Known forDecipherment work on the Inca Quipu
SpouseAlberta Palmer Locke
ChildrenLieutenant Dorothy Brown Locke
Academic background
Education
Academic work
Discipline

Leslie Leland Locke (1875–1943) was an American mathematician, historian, and educator, best known for his work on deciphering ancient Andean knot records called quipus.

Locke's most prominent work, The Ancient Quipu or Peruvian Knot Record (1923), demonstrated how the Inca tied knots on quipu cords using a base-10 positional number system. In addition to his work on quipus, Locke is also recognized for his research on the history of mathematics and mathematical instruments, particularly his research and collection of calculating machines.

Education

Locke earned both his B.A. (1896) and M.A. (1900) from Grove City College. He went on to study mathematics at Pennsylvania State University; Cornell University; and eventually at Teachers College at Columbia University, where he studied under Professor David Eugene Smith. As a graduate student studying the history of mathematics, Locke assisted Smith and Yoshio Mikami with their 1914 book, The History of Japanese Mathematics, by taking the many photographs used throughout the book.

Career

Early in his career, Locke held several short-term teaching positions, including at West Sunbury Academy in West Sunbury, Pennsylvania; a high school in Fredonia, Pennsylvania; and at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. In 1902, he moved to Brooklyn, New York, where he began teaching at Adelphi College, a position he held for six years. In 1906, he transitioned to the Maxwell Training School for Teachers, also in Brooklyn.

In 1933, Locke joined Brooklyn Technical High School as a mechanical drawing instructor, a role he held until his retirement in 1942. Concurrently, from 1917 to 1938, he served as a professor of mathematics, teaching evening sessions at Brooklyn College.

Aside from teaching, Locke was also a "Foundation Member" of the History of Science Society (HSS), where he also served as the society's Secretary at one point. He was also a member of several other academic organizations, including the American Mathematics Society (AMS), the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), the Mathematics Association of America (MAA).

Quipu reaserch

Cover of The Ancient Quipu (1923) by Leslie Leland Locke.

Under the guidance of Professor David Eugene Smith, Locke began studying Andean quipus, leveraging his teacher's collection of rare books on South America and examining specimens housed in the American Museum of Natural History.

Locke's first major work on the Andean quipu was published in 1912 as an article in American Anthropologist, titled "The Ancient Quipu, a Peruvian Knot Record". In this seminal work, Locke outlined a basic working model for how Inca quipus recorded numbers using three types of knots: the overhand knot, the figure-eight knot, and eight types of long knots. He showed that a knot's distance from the quipu's main cord was used to denote its value in a decimal system. He argued that quipus were not used directly for counting or calculating—e.g., an abacus—but rather, they were only used to record information. Finally, he strongly believed quipu knots were used purely for numerical purposes.

Locke later expanded his initial 1912 article into a full-length book, publishing The Ancient Quipu or Peruvian Knot Record through the American Museum of Natural History in 1923. An early review hailed the book as "the first serious attempt to elucidate the quipu mystery." In the preface to one of his own works on quipus, Erland Nordenskiöld—a leading expert in South American archaeology and anthropology of the early 20th century—praised Locke as "the founder of the modern study of the quipu".

Calculating machines

After his work on quipus, Locke became interested in the history of the calculating machine. He soon became an avid collector of these devices and amassed a collection of well over 100 items, at least one of which was thought to have been the first of its kind. Several of the more rare pieces in Locke's collection included:

  1. The first direct multiplication machine (designed by Ramon Verea in 1878)
  2. A lever-set barrel calculating machine (patented by George B. Grant in 1887)
  3. A cylindrical slide rule (invented by George Fuller in 1878)

In 1939, Locke donated his large collection to the Smithsonian Institution. According to the Smithsonian, Locke had initially intended his collection to go to the Museums of the Peaceful Arts in New York, however, the museum closed before he could do so.

Book collection and personal library

Bookplate from Locke's personal library.

Over the course of his life, Locke acquired many books relating to mathematics and other personal topics of interest. Locke added a personalized Bookplate to many of the books in his collection. The plate read "EX LIBIRS LESLIE LELAND LOCKE" ("From the library of Leslie Leland Locke").

Following his death, Locke left his collection of books on mathematics to his alma mater, Grove City College. The collection was eventually donated by the College to the Smithsonian Libraries and Archives.

Death

Locke died at his home at 950 St. John's Place in Brooklyn, New York, on August 28, 1943. Some sources describe his death as sudden, while others report that he died "after a long illness".

Major publications

  • Locke, L. Leland. 1909. "Pure Mathematics." The Science-History of the Universe, 8:1–187. New York: Current Literature Publishing Company.
  • Locke, L. Leland. 1912. "The Ancient Quipu, a Peruvian Knot Record." American Anthropologist 14 (2): 325–32.
  • Locke, L. Leland. 1923. The Ancient Quipu or Peruvian Knot Record. American Museum of Natural History.
  • Locke, L. Leland. 1924. "Mathematics of the Calculating Machine." The Mathematics Teacher 17 (2):78-86.
  • Locke, L. Leland. 1926. "The First Direct-Multiplication Machine." Typewriter Topics, November:16-18.
  • Locke, L. Leland. 1927. "A Peruvian Quipu." In Contributions from the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation, 7:3–11. 5. New York: Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation.
  • Locke, L. Leland. 1928. "Supplementary Notes on the Quipus in the American Museum of Natural History." Anthropological Papers of the American Museum of Natural History 30 (3): 43–73.

Notes

  1. ^ Vallicrosa, J. Ma. Millás; Thorndike, Lynn; Montagu, M.F. Ashley (1943). "Notes and Correspondence". Isis. 34 (5): 410–412. ISSN 0021-1753.
  2. Locke, Leslie Leland (1923). The Ancient Quipu Or Peruvian Knot Record. American Museum of Natural History.
  3. Locke, Leslie Leland (1909). "Pure mathematics". The Science-History of the Universe. Vol. 8. New York: Current Literature Publishing Company. pp. 1–187.
  4. ^ "Computing Devices - L. Leland Locke". www.si.edu. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  5. ^ "November 1943 Alumni News by Grove City College - Issuu". issuu.com. 2022-06-10. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  6. ^ Hyland, Sabine (2024-01-01). "Knot Anomalies on Inka Khipus: Revising Locke's Knot Typology". IX Jornadas Internacionales de Textiles Precolombinos y Amerindianos / 9th International Conference on Pre-Columbian and Amerindian Textiles, Museo delle Culture, Milan, 2022.
  7. Smith, David Eugene; Mikami, Yoshio (1914). A history of Japanese mathematics. University of California Libraries. Chicago : The Open Court Publishing Company .
  8. ^ Karpinski, Louis C. (1943). "Leslie Leland Locke". Science. 98 (2543): 274–275. ISSN 0036-8075.
  9. Locke, L. Leland (1912). "The Ancient Quipu, a Peruvian Knot Record". American Anthropologist. 14 (2): 325–332. ISSN 0002-7294.
  10. Sarton, George (1924). "Fifteenth Critical Bibliography of the History and Philosophy of Science and of the History of Civilization. (To December 1923.)". Isis. 6 (2): 135–251. doi:10.1086/358234. ISSN 0021-1753.
  11. Nordenskiöld, Erland (1925). Calculations with years and months in the Peruvian quipus. Göteborg: Erlanders Boktryckeri Aktiebolag.
  12. ^ Kidwell, Peggy Aldrich (2016), Zack, Maria; Landry, Elaine (eds.), "Charter Members of the MAA and the Material Culture of American Mathematics", Research in History and Philosophy of Mathematics, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 205–219, doi:10.1007/978-3-319-46615-6_15, ISBN 978-3-319-43269-4, retrieved 2025-01-02
Categories:
Leslie Leland Locke: Difference between revisions Add topic