Laura Conaway

MAT 45 – Research Paper

Tuesday, May 1, 2018

Mathematics is a content area that plays a major role in society today and how

individuals complete a variety of tasks. From telling time and counting money to building

bridges and calculating the circumference of an object, math is everywhere. Without it, buildings

would be disproportionate and people would not be receiving fair wages. Throughout history,

many men and women have contributed to the advancement of this important subject and its

content. Their curiosity led to discoveries that have helped improve the way mathematics is

taught and utilized today. There has been a plethora of women who have reached significant

achievements in this field, including Katherine Johnson and Danica McKellar. Their lives and

mathematical accomplishments are still significant and both of their lives have similarities to

each other in addition to differences.

Katherine Johnson was born in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia in August of 1918.

From a young age, she showed a love for counting objects. From there, her love for mathematics

continued to grow and would spur her into accomplishing monumental tasks for the field.

Johnson began school in the second grade because she was more advanced than peers her own

age. By the time she was ten, she was in high school and at the age of fifteen, Johnson enrolled

in West Virginia State College. This opportunity was made possible by her father’s willingness

to move the family because the school that Johnson was attending only taught through sixth

grade due to it being an all-black school in the South.

Once in college, her decision to pursue math resulted partially from one of her professors

who told her, “if you don’t show up for my class, I will come and find you.’ And so it was,

though part threat and part joke, Johnson steered her way in what was already her first love:

mathematics” (Wild, 2018, p. 1). The willingness of her professor to encourage her because she

saw potential in Johnson brought about a positive effect on the rest of her life. Despite Johnson’s
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MAT 45 – Research Paper
Tuesday, May 1, 2018

young age, she continued to excel in school and there were times that she helped her classmates

understand complex material. There were moments when

“others in the class did not understand what he [professor] was teaching. So I would ask

questions to help them. He’d tell me that I should know the answer, and I finally had to

tell him that I did know the answer, but the other students did not. I could tell” (Wild,

2018, p. 1).

Her ability to understand material and assists students who were much older than her is that of a

prodigy and her character reflected a kindness and willingness to help her peers. After graduating

summa cum laude with a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and French at the age of eighteen,

she became a teacher before leaving to start a family. Then, after encouragement from family

and friends to go back into the work force, Johnson started working for NACA which was the

precursor of NASA. While there, many people took notice to her work ethic and how “she didn’t

want to just do the work – she wanted to know the “hows” and the “whys” and then the “why

nots” (Wild, 2018, p. 2). It was not just another job for Johnson but rather an opportunity to

learn, grow, and change by understanding information. Although she was one of the few women

who worked at NACA, “she became known as a leader, and the men increasingly relied on her”

(Wild, 2018, p. 2). She developed an admirable reputation among a population that normally

held men in a higher regard. Because of these inquisitive questions and her reputation, she

became a woman who contributed to a plethora of important findings and successful quests that

would also result in recognition and awards.

During her lifetime, Johnson contributed to mathematics through many accomplishments.

She helped calculate “the trajectory of Alan Shepard’s Freedom 7 flight in May 1961 again from

liftoff to splashdown” (Mink, 2016, p. 1). This project was important because it insured the
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MAT 45 – Research Paper
Tuesday, May 1, 2018

safety of the passenger on board and making sure that there were no unexpected challenges

during the voyage. Through these calculations, Johnson helped get the first American into space.

A similar job would be given to her in 1962 when “NASA prepared for the orbital mission of

John Glenn … The complexity of the orbital flight had required the construction of a worldwide

communications network” (Shetterly, 2017, p. 2). To successfully ensure the protection of the

astronaut and the spacecraft, Johnson ran the numbers for this mission by hand to verify that the

equation that the computer calculated was accurate. The risk involved here was high but so was

the profitable outcome. In addition to these accomplishments, Johnson received many awards

including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015 for contributing to the space program and

flight. She has also co-authored 26 NASA research reports and enjoys speaking at conferences.

Johnson’s life is marked with many contributions to the field of mathematics and as a woman,

she created a name for herself that will live on.

Danica McKellar is another stellar woman who has contributed to the field of

mathematics throughout her life. Born in La Jolle, California, McKellar started acting from a

young age. She now resides in Los Angeles, California where acting is her main career. She is

best known for her role as Winnie Cooper on The Wonder Years and Elsie Snuffin on The West

Wing but has also debuted on other shows and movies including Hallmark Channel. However,

acting is not her only passion. McKellar graduated summa cu laude from the University of

California, Los Angeles with a degree in mathematics. Helping others find joy in and understand

math is a goal of hers and she considered herself a strong advocate for this content area. During

an interview, McKellar said, “acting is a true love of mine, acting and math. Although they are

both creative, they use very different sides of your brain” (NPR, 2006, p. 3). She can be creative

and think critically with both professions and has utilized her platform in the limelight to make a
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MAT 45 – Research Paper
Tuesday, May 1, 2018

difference for others, especially young girls. She feels that she would “rather use her powers in

math to be an example that makes people question their stereotypes about what a mathematician

looks like” (NPR, 2006, p. 4). Others are able to see McKellar take a stand for what she believes

is important and not allow criticism to affect her contributions. She has broken many stereotypes

about what a mathematician should look like by pursuing acting and her mathematical

accomplishments have impacted many.

One of McKellar’s most well-known projects is the theorem she helped co-author. The

name of this theorem is Percolation and Gibbs States Muliplicity for Gerromagnetic Ashkin-

Teller Models on Two Dimensions, or Z2. However, most individuals find it easier to call it the

Chayes-McKellar-Winn Theorem. The group “took a two-dimensional mathematical model of

magnetic material and proved a theorem about it” (NPR, 2006, p. 2). McKellar explained that

this mathematical concept consisted of “percolation and Gibbs States multiplicity each hav[ing] a

crucial temperate above which they do not happen and below which they do happen. …We

proved that … those two temperatures are the same” (NPR, 2006, p. 2). To most individuals, this

idea sounds foreign and confusing. However, to another mathematician, this theorem may be the

breaking point for a new discovery and understanding how to put it to use, which is exactly what

McKellar hopes will happen one day.

In addition to this mathematical application, McKellar has written three books about

mathematics for younger people in an effort to help them love math and comprehend it. The

three books include, Math Doesn’t Suck, Kiss My Math, and Hot X: Algebra Exposed!. In her

book, Math Doesn’t Suck, McKellar says, “I remember sitting in my seventh grade math class,

staring at a quiz as if it were written in Chinese – it might as well have been a blank sheet of

paper” (McKellar, 2007, pg. xiii). It takes practice and a growing appreciation of math to not
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MAT 45 – Research Paper
Tuesday, May 1, 2018

have a negative bias towards it and McKellar reveals this in her book, hoping that she can

provide empathy to students and then help them improve their skills. Furthermore, in her first

book, McKellar relates math to everyday scenarios that individuals experience. She discusses

how “Math builds confidence, keeps you from getting ripped off, makes you better at adjusting

cookie recipes, understanding sports scores, budgeting and planning parties and vacations,

interpreting how good a sale really is, and spending your allowance” (McKellar, 2007, pg. xiv).

By relating math to basic everyday situations, people feel as if it is important to comprehend

these ideas and they can see the value in using them. Not only has McKellar had the opportunity

to express the significance of math through her books but she has also been a guest speaker at

math conferences around the United States and been a spokesperson for Math-A-Thon at St.

Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. She was honored in Britain’s Journal of Physics in addition

to being invited to speak to a subcommittee in Congress and discuss the value of women in the

math and science fields. At this talk, she “addressed the sociological factors contributing to

women’s deficiency in mathematics” (Graham, 2011, p. 1). By taking a stand for the role

mathematics plays in peoples’ lives and using her platform in the spotlight, McKellar has

impacted many and helped individuals see the role math plays in everyday life.

Both women played significant roles in mathematics and its advancement. Johnson spent

time in the science field using her math skills while McKellar spoke out about the importance of

math and science. In addition, both mathematicians were publically acknowledged and honored,

receiving the credit they deserved. These women have made an impact even though their non-

traditional and diverse backgrounds may have caused skepticism for society. As an African

American woman in the segregated South, Johnson climbed the ladder of success and became a

role model even among men. McKellar, becoming a public figure for young teenagers, showed
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MAT 45 – Research Paper
Tuesday, May 1, 2018

people that being a mathematician does not have to fit a mold. Despite living in two separate eras

that each have had their own markers, Johnson and McKellar have impacted people directly. For

one, that appeared in the form of protecting the life of an astronaut while for the other, it has

been encouraging young people to find excitement in math and possible discoveries.

Overall, these women have taken a stand and shown the world what it means to make a

difference through mathematics. Without their contributions, the advancement of this field would

not be where it is today. From sending a man to the moon, to successfully completing Algebra

class, math is used every day, most often in ways that people are unaware of.
Laura Conaway
MAT 45 – Research Paper
Tuesday, May 1, 2018

Works Cited:

Graham, P. (2011, June 14). Actress Danica McKellar Talks About Math. Retrieved from
https://search-proquest-com.proxy-kutztown.klnpa.org/docview/871780177?accountid=1
1920

McKellar, D. (2007). Math Doesn’t Suck. New York, New York: Hudson Street Press.

Mink, M. (2016, December 29). Katherine Johnson Did The Math For NASA When It Counted
Most. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.proxy-
kutztown.klnpa.org/docview/1853913259?account%20id=11920

NPR. (2006, February 11). Danica McKellar’s Mathematical Theorem. Retrieved from
https://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=5201825

Shetterly, M. (2017, August 3). Katherine Johnson Biography. Retrieved from

https://www.nasa.gov/content/katherine-johnson-biography

Wild, F. (2018, March 7). Katherine Johnson: A Lifetime of STEM. Retrieved from
https://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/a-lifetime-of-stem.html