Louis Leithold | |
---|---|
Born | November 16, 1924 San Francisco |
Died | May 29, 2005 Los Angeles |
(aged 80)
Residence | United States |
Nationality | American |
Fields | mathematics (calculus) |
Institutions | Malibu High School |
Known for | The Calculus |
Influenced | Jaime Escalante |
Louis Leithold (San Francisco, USA, 16 November, 1924 – Los Angeles, 29 April, 2005) was an American mathematician and teacher. He is best known for authoring The Calculus, a classic textbook about calculus that changed the teaching methods for calculus in world high schools and universities.[1] Known as "a legend in AP calculus circles," Leithold was the mentor of Jaime Escalante, the Los Angeles high-school teacher whose story is the subject of the 1988 movie Stand and Deliver.[2]
Leithold attained master's and doctorate degrees from the University of California, Berkeley. He went on to teach at Phoenix College (Arizona)[1] (which has a math scholarship in his name[3]), California State University, Los Angeles, the University of Southern California, Pepperdine University, and The Open University (UK).[4] In 1968, Leithold published The Calculus, a "blockbuster best-seller" which simplified the teaching of calculus.[5]
At age 72, after his retirement[4] from Pepperdine,[6] he began tutoring math at Malibu High School, in Malibu, California, drilling his students for the Advanced Placement Calculus, and achieving considerable success.[4] He regularly assigned two hours of homework per night, and had training sessions at his own house that ran Sundays from 9AM to 4PM.[7] His teaching methods were praised for their liveliness, and his love for the topic was well-known.[5] He also taught workshops for calculus teachers.[7][8] One of the people he influenced was Jaime Escalante, who taught math to minority students at Garfield High School in East Los Angeles. Escalante's subsequent success as a teacher is portrayed in the 1988 film Stand and Deliver.[4]
Leithold died of natural causes the day before his class (which he had been "relentlessly drilling" for eight months[4]) was to take the AP exam;[4] his students went on to receive top scores.[8] A memorial service was held in Glendale, and a scholarship established in his name.[6]