AFRICAN STUDIES

African Studies

African Studies

Introduction

African Americans played the most vital role in the development of African Americans. Most people played a very influential role and played a great part of their contribution to the educational programs and systems. People have contributed in many fields of education like Mathematics, chemistry, physics, medicine, biology, engineering and technology. Similarly, some of the contributors have been discussed in details about their early life as well as about the contributions they have made in the field of education and specifically in mathematics.

Discussion

Benjamin Banneker

Benjamin Banneker was one of the contributors in the field of mathematics. Since he was a child his grandmother and Quaker school master trained him initially in reading and solving basic arithmetic. He was very much fond of solving math's riddles. His early days can be explained as his help done for his parents at their farm, where they grew many vegetables and tobacco. This work forced him to stop taking formal education. He was born in Maryland in 1731.

A Mathematician Builds a Clock

When Banneker reached the age of 21 years he Ellicott's pocket watch, seeing the interest of Banneker, Ellicott gifted the watch to him. Banneker was so much interested in the watch and its working that he started to examine it, and sketch the inner working of that clock. The excellent work then have been put forward by Banneker he designed, and build the watch by carving the large piece of wood. He measures the gear assemblies to make the striking clock. It was an accurate timepiece, and kept the accurate time for over 50 years, for which he got recognized and got the title of a clockmaker. He even helped Ellicott in building the most complex watch ever.

Interest in Trigonometry

Banneker had a great interest in solving puzzles and riddles in mathematics; he showed a great interest in the field of trigonometry as well and exhibited his pieces of interest and expertise in logarithms. He was influential in formulating the methods and the approach to find the length of the sides of a diameter of an equilateral triangle which is emblazoned in a circle. He is one of the African American who devoted himself in order to explore the field, and he is one of the pioneers in discovering the field of mathematics to mark an evident change to mathematics. Still now he is recalled and recognized as one of the great black mathematician (Howard, 1964).

Interest in Astronomy

Banneker also showed his interest in the field of astronomy in making projection for solar a lunar eclipse with the help of the mathematical calculations involved in it, also encrypting computations of ephemerides for an almanac, and became one of the most famous African Americans in early U.S. history. The memories of Banneker are still alive the manuscript journal has been preserved in which he exhibited and illustrated the astronomical calculations along with his own personal statements and notions. Many writers, mathematicians, astronomers have explained his set of achievements in the history of ...