Virginia Ragsdale
Encyclopedia
Virginia Ragsdale was a teacher
and a mathematician
specializing in number theory
. She is most known as the creator of the Ragsdale conjecture
.
. She attended a private school in Jamestown.
, where she studied piano as well as academic studies. She graduated in 1887 as valedictorian
. Ragsdale soon attended Guilford College
in Greensboro, North Carolina
, and actively shaped the college while there. She was able to establish a Y.M.C.A. on campus, expand collegiate athletics, and she contributed to form the Guilford's Alumni Association.
She was given a scholarship
from Bryn Mawr College
for being the woman with the highest scholastic average after her graduation from Guilford College with a B.S. degree
in 1892. She studied physics
at Bryn Mawr College, obtaining an A.B. degree, and continued on as a graduate student. After a year of study, she earned a fellowship
to study in Europe.
Together with two of her colleagues, she chose to spend her year abroad at the University of Göttingen, Germany
, in which she worked with Felix Klein
and David Hilbert
. After her return to the United States
, she taught in Baltimore
until a second scholarship permitted her to return to her alma mater
college to complete her Ph.D.
degree. Her first notable dissertation, "On the Arrangement of the Real Branches of Plane Algebraic Curves," was published in 1906 by the American Journal of Mathematics
. Based on this dissertation, the Ragsdale conjecture
was formed.
in 1911 to accept a mathematics position at Woman's College in Greensboro (now known as the University of North Carolina at Greensboro
). She remained there for almost two decades and even was the department's head from 1926-1928.
In 1928, she retired from teaching in order to care for her mother's health. After the death of her mother, she built a house on the edge of the Guilford College
campus, where she spent her last years gardening, working with furniture, and researching her family's genealogy
.
Following Ragsdale's death, she donated her house to Guilford College. Over the years, it housed the faculty, alumni, and visitors. In 1965, it was decided that the house would be the home of the college's president until today.
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
and a 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 number theory
Number theory
Number theory is a branch of pure mathematics devoted primarily to the study of the integers. Number theorists study prime numbers as well...
. She is most known as the creator of the Ragsdale conjecture
Ragsdale conjecture
The Ragsdale conjecture is a mathematical conjecture that concerns the possible arrangements of real algebraic curves embedded in the projective plane...
.
Early life
Ragsdale was born on a farm in Jamestown, North CarolinaJamestown, North Carolina
Jamestown is a town in Guilford County, North Carolina, United States, and is a suburb of the nearby cities of Greensboro and High Point. The population was 3,088 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Jamestown is located at ....
. She attended a private school in Jamestown.
Study
As a junior, Ragsdale entered Salem AcademySalem Academy
Salem Academy is a boarding and day school for high school girls in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It is formally known as Salem Academy and College where it shares its campus with Salem College, located near historic Old Salem...
, where she studied piano as well as academic studies. She graduated in 1887 as valedictorian
Valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title conferred upon the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony. Usually, the valedictorian is the highest ranked student among those graduating from an educational institution...
. Ragsdale soon attended Guilford College
Guilford College
Guilford College, founded in 1837 by members of the Religious Society of Friends , is an independent college whose stated mission is to: provide a transformative, practical and excellent liberal arts education that produces critical thinkers in an inclusive, diverse environment, guided by Quaker...
in Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the third-largest city by population in North Carolina and the largest city in Guilford County and the surrounding Piedmont Triad metropolitan region. According to the 2010 U.S...
, and actively shaped the college while there. She was able to establish a Y.M.C.A. on campus, expand collegiate athletics, and she contributed to form the Guilford's Alumni Association.
She was given a scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
from Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College is a women's liberal arts college located in Bryn Mawr, a community in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, ten miles west of Philadelphia. The name "Bryn Mawr" means "big hill" in Welsh....
for being the woman with the highest scholastic average after her graduation from Guilford College with a B.S. degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in 1892. She studied physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
at Bryn Mawr College, obtaining an A.B. degree, and continued on as a graduate student. After a year of study, she earned a fellowship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
to study in Europe.
Together with two of her colleagues, she chose to spend her year abroad at the University of Göttingen, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, in which she worked with Felix Klein
Felix Klein
Christian Felix Klein was a German mathematician, known for his work in group theory, function theory, non-Euclidean geometry, and on the connections between geometry and group theory...
and David Hilbert
David Hilbert
David Hilbert was a German mathematician. He is recognized as one of the most influential and universal mathematicians of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Hilbert discovered and developed a broad range of fundamental ideas in many areas, including invariant theory and the axiomatization of...
. After her return to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, she taught in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
until a second scholarship permitted her to return to her alma mater
Alma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
college to complete her Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
degree. Her first notable dissertation, "On the Arrangement of the Real Branches of Plane Algebraic Curves," was published in 1906 by the American Journal of Mathematics
American Journal of Mathematics
The American Journal of Mathematics is a bimonthly mathematics journal published by the Johns Hopkins University Press.- History :The American Journal of Mathematics is the oldest continuously-published mathematical journal in the United States, established in 1878 at the Johns Hopkins University...
. Based on this dissertation, the Ragsdale conjecture
Ragsdale conjecture
The Ragsdale conjecture is a mathematical conjecture that concerns the possible arrangements of real algebraic curves embedded in the projective plane...
was formed.
Career
After completing her degree, Ragsdale taught for several years and was eventually coaxed to North CarolinaNorth Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
in 1911 to accept a mathematics position at Woman's College in Greensboro (now known as the University of North Carolina at Greensboro
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro , also known as UNC Greensboro, is a public university in Greensboro, North Carolina, United States and is a constituent institution of the University of North Carolina system. The university offers more than 100 undergraduate, 61 master's and 26...
). She remained there for almost two decades and even was the department's head from 1926-1928.
In 1928, she retired from teaching in order to care for her mother's health. After the death of her mother, she built a house on the edge of the Guilford College
Guilford College
Guilford College, founded in 1837 by members of the Religious Society of Friends , is an independent college whose stated mission is to: provide a transformative, practical and excellent liberal arts education that produces critical thinkers in an inclusive, diverse environment, guided by Quaker...
campus, where she spent her last years gardening, working with furniture, and researching her family's genealogy
Genealogy
Genealogy is the study of families and the tracing of their lineages and history. Genealogists use oral traditions, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinship and pedigrees of its members...
.
Following Ragsdale's death, she donated her house to Guilford College. Over the years, it housed the faculty, alumni, and visitors. In 1965, it was decided that the house would be the home of the college's president until today.
Trivia
- Virginia Ragsdale descended from Godfrey Ragsdale, a settler of the new Jamestown colony. Jamestown was once raided by a native-American tribe in 1644 led by the uncle of PocahontasPocahontasPocahontas was a Virginia Indian notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. She was the daughter of Chief Powhatan, the head of a network of tributary tribal nations in Tidewater Virginia...
. During a raid in 1644, Godfrey and his wife were killed, but managed to mask their infant son, Godfrey, Jr., who was then rescued and raised by a neighbour. Ragsdale was then descended from the infant.