Students learn lessons from past mathematicians
JESSICA FLIPPEN

MALISSA TRENHOLM
George Rich with the picture of Archimedes.

George Rich, math teacher at Yosemite High School, has pictures of past mathematicians above his white board, subjects of the biographies he reads to his students.

Although he hasn’t read any yet this year, he plans to share them with his Algebra I and Math Analysis classes.

His favorite mathematician is Archimedes. Rich states that Archimedes was so far ahead of his time that the work he did wasn’t put into effect until 1200 years later.

During the wars between Rome and Carthage, Archimedes designed machines that were never seen before. He invented the catapult and built an arm that would interject over the city wall into the sea and flip boats over.
He also figured how to build huge magnifying lenses that, when focused on ships burst them into flames.

Rich comments that everything that Archimedes did was practical; not just for the sake of math. His objective for reading the stories is that by learning the lives of these mathematical minds, students are reminded that mathematicians are normal people: gamblers, cheaters, rich men, poor men, just like us, from all walks of life.

Says Rich, “It doesn’t matter where you come from, whether your home situation is good or bad, anyone can do math who is committed.”