Conic Sections Rebellion
Encyclopedia
The Conic Sections Rebellion, also known as the Conic Section Rebellion, refers primarily to an incident which occurred at Yale University
in 1830, as a result of changes in the methods of mathematics education
. When a policy change dictated that students were required to draw reference diagrams for exams rather than be allowed to refer to diagrams in their textbooks, a number of students staged a rebellion in which they refused to take the exams at all. A precursor incident occurred in 1825; historian Clarence Deming described the 1830 incident as being "much more serious", and stated that the two incidents should be "sharply demarcated".
s)", and refused to recite these corollaries. Thirty-eight students out of a class of eighty-seven, including Horace Bushnell
, William H. Welch, Henry Hogeboom
, and William Adams
, were suspended
; faculty contacted the students' parents, and the students were pressured into signing a statement of concession:
s, Yale students had been allowed to consult diagrams in their textbooks when solving geometry
problems pertaining to conic sections -- even on exams. When the students were no longer allowed to consult the text, but were instead required to draw their own diagrams on the blackboard, they refused to take the final exam. As a result, forty-three of the ninety-six students -- among them, Alfred Stillé
, and Andrew Calhoun, the son of John C. Calhoun
-- were summarily expelled
, and Yale authorities warned neighboring universities against admitting them.
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 1830, as a result of changes in the methods of mathematics education
Mathematics education
In contemporary education, mathematics education is the practice of teaching and learning mathematics, along with the associated scholarly research....
. When a policy change dictated that students were required to draw reference diagrams for exams rather than be allowed to refer to diagrams in their textbooks, a number of students staged a rebellion in which they refused to take the exams at all. A precursor incident occurred in 1825; historian Clarence Deming described the 1830 incident as being "much more serious", and stated that the two incidents should be "sharply demarcated".
1825 incident
In 1825, students of the Yale sophomore class claimed that "by explicit contract with (their) mathematical tutor, (they were) exempt from the corollaries of the text-book (on conic sectionConic section
In mathematics, a conic section is a curve obtained by intersecting a cone with a plane. In analytic geometry, a conic may be defined as a plane algebraic curve of degree 2...
s)", and refused to recite these corollaries. Thirty-eight students out of a class of eighty-seven, including Horace Bushnell
Horace Bushnell
Horace Bushnell was an American Congregational clergyman and theologian.-Life:Bushnell was a Yankee born in the village of Bantam, township of Litchfield, Connecticut. He attended Yale College where he roomed with future magazinist Nathaniel Parker Willis. Willis credited Bushnell with teaching...
, William H. Welch, Henry Hogeboom
Henry Hogeboom
Henry Hogeboom was a judge who served on the New York Supreme Court from 1858 until his death. Prior to being elected to the bench, Hogeboom served as a member of the New York State Assembly, representing Columbia County.Historian Edward J. Renehan, Jr. has referred to Hogeboom as a "Tammany judge"...
, and William Adams
William Adams (minister)
William Adams was a noted clergyman and academic.-Early life:He was born in Colchester, Connecticut in 1807 to John Adams , a 1795 graduate of Yale who was an American educator noted for organizing several hundred Sunday schools, and Elizabeth Ripley, the daughter of Gamaliel Ripley and Judith...
, were suspended
Disciplinary probation
Disciplinary probation is a disciplinary status that can apply to students at a higher educational institution or to employees in the workplace. For employees, it can result from both poor performance at work or from misconduct...
; faculty contacted the students' parents, and the students were pressured into signing a statement of concession:
We, the undersigned, having been led into a course of opposition to the government of Yale College, do acknowledge our fault in this resistance, and promise, on being restored to our standing in the class, to yield a faithful obedience to the laws (of Yale College).
-- Statement of concession which ended the Conic Sections Rebellion of 1825
1830 incident
Prior to the introduction of blackboardBlackboard
A chalkboard is a reusable writing surface.Blackboard may also refer to:* Blackboards are synonymous with "boards of infamy", an element of agitation-propaganda in the Soviet Union in 1930s, coincidental with Holodomor...
s, Yale students had been allowed to consult diagrams in their textbooks when solving geometry
Geometry
Geometry arose as the field of knowledge dealing with spatial relationships. Geometry was one of the two fields of pre-modern mathematics, the other being the study of numbers ....
problems pertaining to conic sections -- even on exams. When the students were no longer allowed to consult the text, but were instead required to draw their own diagrams on the blackboard, they refused to take the final exam. As a result, forty-three of the ninety-six students -- among them, Alfred Stillé
Alfred Stillé
Alfred Stillé was an American physician. Born in Philadelphia, he was educated at Yale and at the University of Pennsylvania . He settled in practice in his native city, but spent parts of 1841 and 1851 in Paris and Vienna...
, and Andrew Calhoun, the son of John C. Calhoun
John C. Calhoun
John Caldwell Calhoun was a leading politician and political theorist from South Carolina during the first half of the 19th century. Calhoun eloquently spoke out on every issue of his day, but often changed positions. Calhoun began his political career as a nationalist, modernizer, and proponent...
-- were summarily expelled
Expulsion (academia)
Expulsion or exclusion refers to the permanent removal of a student from a school system or university for violating that institution's rules. Laws and procedures regarding expulsion vary between countries and states.-State sector:...
, and Yale authorities warned neighboring universities against admitting them.