Anna Cartan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Anna Cartan
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Marthe and Anna Cartan. Sitting: Madeleine, Marie Curie and Eugénie Cotton.
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| Born | 15 May 1878 |
| Died | 1923 (aged 44–45) |
| Occupation | Mathematician, teacher and author |
Anna Cartan (born May 15, 1878 – died 1923) was a smart French mathematician, a dedicated teacher, and an author who wrote school textbooks. She was even a student of the famous scientist Marie Curie!
Contents
Early Life
Anna Cartan was the youngest of four children. Her parents were Anne Florentine Cottaz and Joseph Antoine Cartan. Her father was a blacksmith, which means he worked with metal.
Anna had an older sister named Jeanne-Marie, who became a dressmaker. Her brother Léon followed in their father's footsteps and became a blacksmith too. Her other brother, Élie Cartan, became a very famous mathematician. His son, Henri Cartan, also became a well-known mathematician later on.
Élie Cartan remembered that his family was quite poor. He said his childhood was filled with the sounds of the anvil, which started early every morning. Their mother worked hard, even using a spinning wheel when she had a few free moments.
Becoming a Mathematician and Teacher
Because her family was poor, it was unusual for any of the children to go to college. But in 1901, Anna Cartan entered a special school in Sèvres, near Paris, France. This school was called École normale supérieure de jeunes filles. Her brother Élie helped inspire her to go.
Anna decided to study mathematics because she wanted to become a high school teacher. She took classes from amazing teachers, including Marie Curie, who taught physics there. She also learned from the mathematician Jules Tannery.
Anna made good friends at school. One friend was Eugénie Cotton, who was a scientist and worked for women's rights. Eugénie later became the director of the school. Another friend was Marthe Baillaud, who was Jules Tannery's niece.
Anna finished her math studies in 1904. She then started teaching math at a high school in Poitiers, France, from 1904 to 1906. After that, she taught in Dijon from 1906 to 1908.
Traveling the World
In 1908, Anna Cartan received a special scholarship. A kind French helper named Albert Kahn gave her money to travel around the world for a year. The idea was for her to learn new things and improve her teaching skills by seeing different places.
She visited many places, including the United States (like New York, Chicago, and Niagara Falls), Quebec in Canada, Mexico, and Cuba. After her trip, she went back to Dijon and taught there until 1916. Later, she taught at other schools in Paris.
Writing Textbooks
Anna Cartan also wrote books to help students learn. In 1912 and 1913, she wrote two books about arithmetic (math with numbers) and geometry (math with shapes) for girls. Later, she worked with her brother Élie to write two more textbooks. These books were for both boys and girls.
Anna Cartan passed away in 1923.
Works
- Arithmetic and geometry, first year, secondary education for young girls, by Anna Cartan, 1912 and 1921.
- Arithmetic, secondary education for young girls, second year, by Anna Cartan, 1913 and 1918.
- Arithmetic, secondary education, boys and girls, classes of 4th and 3rd, by Anna Cartan and Élie Cartan, 1928 and 1931.
- Arithmetic, secondary education, boys and girls, grades 6 and 5, by Anna Cartan and Élie Cartan, 1926.
