Gertrude Cutchin
From Kook Science
| Gertrude Cutchin Burgess | |
|---|---|
.jpg) c. 1902 | |
| Born | Gertrude Cutchin 9 March 1883 Illinois |
| Died | 5 July 1950 (67) St. Louis, Missouri |
| Spouse(s) | William A. Burgess |
Gertrude Cutchin Burgess (March 9, 1883 - July 5, 1950) was an American student who received media attention beginning in 1901 for her proposed solution to the geometry problem of angle trisection, which she was quoted as claiming was "the key to perpetual motion," and further that she had "the secret" and hoped to have a machine completed based on her discovery. It is uncertain if any such machine was ever constructed, but Cutchin's angle trisection rules were quickly dismissed by experts who examined the claims and press interest seems to have fizzled out soon after.
Copyrighted Solution
- Cutchin, Gertrude (23 Jan. 1901), Three Rules for Trisecting an Angle, Lebanon, Mo. — Class A, XXe, No. 1585; copies of the solution were later sold for $1 through Burgess Short-Hand and Business College, 219 Cardinal Ave., St. Louis, Mo.
Press Coverage
- "A Mathematical Discovery", Lebanon Republican (Lebanon, Mo.): 3, 18 Jan. 1901, https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/588999448
- "KEY TO PERPETUAL MOTION. Girl Who Trisected an Angle Says Solution Gives Her a New Opportunity.", The Herald-Press (St. Joseph, Mich.): 3, 27 Jan. 1902, https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/362299968, "Gertrude Cutchin, of Lebanon, Mo., has copyrighted her solution of the trisection of the angle, a problem that has been vexing mathematicians since the time of Euclid[...] Since solving this difficult problem Miss Cutchin has received many congratulatory letters from prominent mathematicians the world over, but she remains modest and unassuming though naturally proud of her success. Miss Cutchin said: 'It was just luck that I hit upon the right solution of the problem. I had never thought of it before, but as soon as the example was given to me I immediately saw a possible solution, which proved to be the correct one. The trisection of the angle I consider the key to perpetual motion. I now have the secret and in a few months hope to have a machine completed.'"
- "Miss Cutchin, Who Says She Can Trisect Any Angle, Wedded a Shorthand Teacher.", St. Louis Post-Dispatch (St. Louis, Mo.): 1, 13 Jan. 1903, https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/138851527