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Personal and professional papers of mathematics professor Edward Kasner (1878-1955). Materials include biographical content about Kasner, correspondence, lectures and writings, many newspaper clippings, much information related to his popular book "Mathematics and The Imagination" (1940), sketch books, and an outline for a children's book about mathematics called "Mathematics for Caroline". Material dating after his death consists of tributes, correspondence about a relative trying to get his children's book published, and information about him and the term "googol" which he coined in 1940.
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Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Edward Kasner Papers; Box and Folder; Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.
Columbia University Libraries, Rare Book and Manuscript Library
Edward Kasner (April 2, 1878 – January 7, 1955) was an American mathematician who was appointed Tutor on Mathematics in the Columbia University Mathematics Department. Kasner was the first Jewish person appointed to a faculty position in the sciences at Columbia University. Subsequently, he became an adjunct professor in 1906, and a full professor in 1910, at the university. Differential geometry was his main field of study. In addition to introducing the term "googol", he is known also for the Kasner metric and the Kasner polygon.
In 1940, with James R. Newman, Kasner co-wrote a non-technical book surveying the field of mathematics, called Mathematics and the Imagination (ISBN 0-486-41703-4). It was in this book that the term "googol" was first popularized. (content rom wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Kasner)
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