Dear Editor,
I write to you about a fellow Guyanese whose contributions to education need to be communicated effectively to Guyanese educators, students and those who love knowledge and have an interest in mathematics in particular.
This educator/mathematician qualifies to be an honoree in Education Month. Mrs Lorna Willis-Lawrence (Willis is her maiden name and Lawrence her married one) has done Guyanese proud.
She has accomplished what no one could for two thousand years. Prior to the present, experts deemed the historical three classical problems, viz, squaring the circle, trisection of an angle and the duplication of a cube as incapable of solution, but Mrs Willis-Lawrence has provided solutions to them. Here are the relevant references:
- Lorna A Willis. New Parameters for defining a square: Exact solution to squaring the circle, proving Π is rational. American Journal of Applied Mathematics Vol.2, No.3, 2014, p.74- 78 doi: 10.11648/ j.ajam. 20140203.11
- Trisection of any angle and consequentially the division of any angle into any number of equal parts. Lorna A Willis Pages 169-173 American Journal of Applied Mathematics Vol. 3. issue Number 4, August 2015.
(The publishers have used her maiden name.)
The squaring the circle problem required a square to be constructed, using only a pair of compasses and straight edge that was equal in area to a given circle.
Trisection required the division of any angle into three equal parts.
The duplication of the cube problem required the construction of a cube with volume double that of the original.
Mrs Willis-Lawrence’s exact solutions have generated a significant body of new maths knowledge, including new theorems; new constructions; new corollaries; proof that Π is rational, its exact value is 3.2; Π is a feature of all of Euclidean geometry; new concepts of primary square and secondary square; the division of any angle into any number of equal parts; the foundation for solving the cyclotomy problem, and so on.
It is imperative that this knowledge become available via an enhanced CSEC curriculum, among other things.
Coming from a developing country, Mrs Willis-Lawrence’s accomplishment is no mean feat, and puts to rest the notion that men are hard-wired for mathematics.
Yours faithfully,
Lana Lawrence
