Randolph-Macon Woman's College: Mathematics


The mathematics syllabus for the year academic year 1914-15 given below is taken from Catalogue of Randolph-Macon Woman's College, Lynchburg, Virginia. Twenty-first Session 1913-14 (J P Bell Company, Lynchburg, Virginia, 1914).

1. Mathematics staff.
Professor Nathan Allen Pattillo.
Adjunct-Professor Gillie Aldah Larew.
Miss Beulah Russell.
Miss Annie Whiteside.
2. Mathematics Syllabus.

Course 1.
(a) ADVANCED ALGEBRA. - Beginning with a fuller treatment of ratio, proportion, variation, the three progressions, surds and imaginaries than is usually given in preparatory schools this class will take up in order the theory of quadratic equations, permutations and combinations, binomial theorem, logarithms, series, undetermined coefficients, probability, determinants, and the theory of equations.

(b) SOLID GEOMETRY. - Lines and planes in space, dihedral and polyhedral angles, projections, polyhedra, including prisms, pyramids and the regular solids, cylinders, cones, spheres, spherical triangles, and the measurement of surfaces and solids.

(c) PLANE TRIGONOMETRY . - While a careful study will be made of the properties of right and oblique triangles and their solution much of the time will be devoted to trigonometric analysis.

Four hours a week throughout the year.

TEXT-BOOKS - Wells's Advanced Course in Algebra; Slaught and Lennes's Solid Geometry; Loney's Plane Trigonometry, Part I.
Course 2.
(a) ANALYTIC GEOMETRY- The conception of a locus having been established, the straight line, the circle, the parabola, the ellipse, the hyperbola, the polar equation of the conic, and the general equation of the second degree are successively taken up; this is followed by an elementary introduction to Solid Geometry.

(b) DIFFERENTIAL AND INTEGRAL CALCULUS. - A study of the elementary principles and applications of the Calculus.

Three hours a week throughout the year.

TEXT-BOOKS - Tanner and Allen's Analytic Geometry; Granville's Differential and Integral Calculus.
Course 3.
(a) INTEGRAL CALCULUS. - This is a continuation of the work given in Course 2, the subject here being treated much more fully.

(b) THEORY OF EQUATIONS - An advanced course in the general Theory of Equations, in which a knowledge of the Calculus will be presupposed.

Three hours a week throughout the year.

TEXT-BOOKS - Granville's Differential and Integral Calculus; Burnside and Panton's Theory of Equations, Vol. I.
Course 4.
(a) ANALYTICAL GEOMETRY OF THREE DIMENSIONS. - The plane, the straight line, the quadric surfaces, general theory of surfaces.

(b) DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS - An elementary course devoted mainly to the solution of the simpler ordinary and partial differential equations, with a few geometric and physical applications.

Three hours a week throughout the year.

TEXT-BOOKS - C Smith's Solid Geometry; Murray's Differential Equations.
Course 5.
(a) ANALYTIC GEOMETRY - An advanced course, with an introduction to modern Analytic Geometry.

(b) ADVANCED CALCULUS. - The usual topics of an advanced course will be treated, while many examples taken from problems in Geometry and Physics will be considered.

Three hours a week throughout the year.

TEXT AND REFERENCE BOOKS - Salmon's Conic Sections; Goursat's Cours d'Analyse; Williamson's Differential Calculus; Williamson's Integral Calculus; Wilson's Advanced Calculus.
Course 6.
PROJECTIVE GEOMETRY. - An elementary presentation of the spirit and methods of modern Synthetic Geometry. Reye's Geometrie der Lage will be the basis of the course, which will be given through lectures, assigned readings and the solution of exercises.

Two hours a week throughout the year.
Note. Courses 4 and 5 will be given alternately.

Last Updated December 2021