Mathematician John Fields, after whom the prestigious Fields Medal is named, died in 1932.

The Fields Medal is known more formally as the “International Medal for Outstanding Discoveries in Mathematics.” It was established in 1931 by the International Congress of Mathematicians at the suggestion of its then secretary, John Fields. Fields died in 1932, and in the absence of any government sponsorship for the medal, he left a sum of money in his will to fund the award, which was awarded for the first time in 1936. Fields, a mathematician himself who studied algebraic functions, spent the majority of his career on the promotion of mathematical research. This interest in research, and in promoting the field to popularity, led to the creation of the Fields award. The Fields Medal is awarded to a mathematician—under the age of forty—for outstanding contributions to mathematics as well as the potential for future discovery (thus the age requirement). John Fields worked tirelessly to garner enthusiastic support for the award before his untimely death in 1932. The award was established, supported in part by his bequest of funds, and has been given every four years since 1932, with a break in sequence due to World War II.

Illuminations
Building Connections (9–12) is an advanced lesson that challenges students to make connections between the x-intercepts of the graph of a polynomial and the polynomial’s factors. This activity is designed for students who already have a strong understanding of linear functions and some knowledge of quadratic functions, and who understand the concept of a polynomial function.

Dealing With Data In the Elementary School asks students to engage in problem solving through real data collection and analysis.