Edith Clarke facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Edith Clarke
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| Born | February 10, 1883 Howard County, Maryland
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| Died | October 29, 1959 (aged 76) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Vassar College Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Known for | Clarke transformation Clarke calculator |
| Awards | National Inventors Hall of Fame |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Electrical engineering |
| Institutions | General Electric University of Texas at Austin |
Edith Clarke (born February 10, 1883 – died October 29, 1959) was an amazing American electrical engineer. She was the first woman to work as a professional electrical engineer in the United States. She also became the first female professor of electrical engineering in the country. Edith Clarke broke many barriers for women in engineering. She was the first woman to present a paper at the American Institute of Electrical Engineers. She was also the first female engineer recognized by Tau Beta Pi, an engineering honor society. Her work focused on understanding and improving electric power systems. She even wrote an important textbook called Circuit Analysis of A-C Power Systems.
Early Life and Education
Edith Clarke was born on February 10, 1883, in Howard County, Maryland. She was one of nine children. Sadly, she became an orphan at age 12 and was raised by her older sister. Edith used money she inherited to study mathematics and astronomy at Vassar College. She graduated from Vassar in 1908.
After college, Clarke taught math and physics. She worked at a private school in San Francisco and at Marshall College. Later, she studied civil engineering at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. But she left to become a "computer" at AT&T in 1912. Back then, a "computer" was a person who did complex calculations. She helped George Ashley Campbell solve math problems for long-distance electrical transmissions. While working at AT&T, she studied electrical engineering at Columbia University at night.
In 1918, Clarke joined the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The next year, she made history. She became the first woman to earn a Master of Science (M.S.) degree in electrical engineering from MIT. Her master's project was about how electricity behaves in power lines.
Professional Career and Inventions
After MIT, Edith Clarke found it hard to get a job as an engineer. So, she started working for General Electric (GE). She supervised other "computers" in the Turbine Engineering Department. During this time, she invented something very helpful: the Clarke calculator.
This calculator was an early graphing calculator. It was a simple tool that helped solve equations for electric current, voltage, and impedance in power transmission lines. It could solve these problems much faster than older methods. She applied for a patent for her calculator in 1921, and it was approved in 1925.
In 1921, Clarke took a break from GE. She went to teach physics at the Constantinople Women's College in Turkey. She left because she wasn't allowed to do electrical engineering work at GE. She also earned less money and had a lower professional status than men doing similar work.
When she returned from Turkey in 1922, GE offered her a job. She became a salaried electrical engineer in the Central Station Engineering Department. This made her the first professional female electrical engineer in the United States! She worked at General Electric until she retired in 1945.
Her strong math skills helped her become famous in her field. On February 8, 1926, she became the first woman to present a paper at the American Institute of Electrical Engineers' (AIEE) annual meeting. Her paper showed how to use special math (hyperbolic functions) to calculate the maximum power a line could carry safely. This was very important because power lines were getting longer. Longer lines meant more chances for power system problems. Clarke's paper provided a way to solve these issues for large systems. She later won two awards from the AIEE for her papers, in 1932 and 1941.
She also helped design and build hydroelectric dams in the Western United States, like the Hoover Dam. She used her electrical knowledge to help develop and install the turbines that create hydropower there.
In 1943, Clarke wrote an important textbook for power engineering called Circuit Analysis of A-C Power Systems. This book was based on her lectures for GE engineers. It taught about her special way of using the symmetrical components system. This system is a mathematical tool that helps engineers study and solve problems with power loss and how electrical equipment performs. Clarke adapted this system for the three-phase components, which are the basis of the electrical grid in the United States. Her textbook was used to teach electrical engineers for many years.
In 1947, she joined the Electrical Engineering Department at the University of Texas at Austin. This made her the first female professor of electrical engineering in the country. She taught there for 10 years and retired in 1957.
In an interview in 1948, Clarke shared her thoughts. She said, "There is no demand for women engineers, as such, as there are for women doctors; but there's always a demand for anyone who can do a good piece of work."
Honors and Legacy
Edith Clarke was the first female engineer to achieve professional standing in Tau Beta Pi. In 1948, she became the first female Fellow of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers. She was also the first woman accepted as a full voting member in the AIEE.
In 1954, she received the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) Achievement Award. This award recognized her many original contributions to understanding power system stability and circuit analysis.
Edith Clarke has been honored in many ways. She was included in Women of Achievement in Maryland History in 1998. She also appeared in American National Biography and Notable American Women of the Modern Period.
In 2015, Edith Clarke was added to the National Inventors Hall of Fame after her death. This recognized her important inventions and contributions to engineering.
See also
In Spanish: Edith Clarke para niños
