Anneli Cahn Lax facts for kids

Anneli Cahn Lax (born February 23, 1922, died September 24, 1999) was an American mathematician. She was famous for two main things. First, she helped edit a special series of math books called the New Mathematical Library. Second, she worked to make math education better by adding language skills to it. Anneli Lax earned her first college degree in 1942 and her advanced degree (doctorate) in 1956. She taught mathematics at New York University's Courant Institute. She was married to another famous mathematician, Peter Lax.

Anneli Lax's Life and Work

Becoming a Mathematician

Anneli Lax earned her first degree in mathematics in 1942. This was from Adelphi University in Long Island. Later, in 1956, she earned her PhD from New York University (NYU). Her PhD paper was about a complex math problem. Her professor, Richard Courant, guided her studies.

After finishing her studies, she became a math professor at NYU. She also became an editor for the New Mathematical Library Series.

Making Math Fun and Easy

The New Mathematical Library Series started in 1961. By 1995, 36 books had been published. Anneli Lax and others wanted these books to make math easier to understand. They wanted to help regular people learn about math. The books were also very accurate. The first two books were about numbers and calculus.

In 1977, Anneli Lax won an award called the George Pólya Award. She won it for an article she wrote about linear algebra.

Changing How Math is Taught

In 1980, the math department at New York University asked Anneli Lax to create a new course. This course was for college freshmen who needed extra help with math. She designed a course called "Mathematical Thinking." In this course, math was not just about facts. It was about solving problems and thinking deeply.

Anneli Lax believed that many people misunderstood math. She said in an interview, "They consider it a matter of rules and regulations instead of thinking." She felt that students were often rushed to find the right answer. They did not have enough time to truly understand the problems.

She worked with John Devine to help teachers in New York City schools. They received money from the Ford Foundation. This money helped them train teachers in Anneli Lax's new teaching methods.

Anneli Lax was very involved in improving math education. She helped high school and college students in New York. She believed that using language skills was key to learning math. This included reading, writing, listening, and speaking about math.

She noticed that students learned best when they could connect math to their own lives. She looked at the math lessons for middle school students in New York. She found that too many topics were covered too quickly. This meant students did not have time to connect math to the world outside the classroom.

A big part of her teaching ideas was listening. In her pre-calculus classes, she asked students to explain math ideas. They had to explain them both by speaking and writing. She believed that listening to students' ideas would help them do better in math. It would also make them feel better about math.

She was also a member of the New York Academy of Sciences.

In 1993, Anneli worked on a project with her husband called the Parent's Guide. This guide helped adults learn basic math. It was designed so they could help their children with schoolwork.

In 1995, Anneli Lax received a very high honor. The Mathematical Association of America gave her the Gung-Hu Award for Distinguished Service. This award recognized her important work in publishing math books and improving math education.

Anneli Cahn Lax passed away on September 24, 1999, at the age of 77.

Family Life

In 1948, Anneli Cahn married her second husband, Peter Lax. He was also a mathematician. Anneli Cahn had two sons, John Lax and James Lax.

In 1982, Anneli and Peter created the John Lax Memorial Lecture. They did this to remember their son, John. He had taught at Mount Holyoke but passed away at a young age. The Lax Lecture brings in a top historian to share new ideas in history. It helps make history exciting and understandable for everyone.

A family friend and former student, Elena Marchisotto, said Anneli spent her last summer in the Adirondacks with Peter and her family.