Author: Richard Courant Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA ISBN: 9780195105193 Category : Juvenile Nonfiction Languages : en Pages : 596
Book Description
The teaching and learning of mathematics has degenerated into the realm of rote memorization, the outcome of which leads to satisfactory formal ability but not real understanding or greater intellectual independence. The new edition of this classic work seeks to address this problem. Its goal is to put the meaning back into mathematics. "Lucid . . . easily understandable".--Albert Einstein. 301 linecuts.
Author: Reuben Hersh Publisher: Oxford University Press ISBN: 0198027362 Category : Mathematics Languages : en Pages : 368
Book Description
Most philosophers of mathematics treat it as isolated, timeless, ahistorical, inhuman. Reuben Hersh argues the contrary, that mathematics must be understood as a human activity, a social phenomenon, part of human culture, historically evolved, and intelligible only in a social context. Hersh pulls the screen back to reveal mathematics as seen by professionals, debunking many mathematical myths, and demonstrating how the "humanist" idea of the nature of mathematics more closely resembles how mathematicians actually work. At the heart of his book is a fascinating historical account of the mainstream of philosophy--ranging from Pythagoras, Descartes, and Spinoza, to Bertrand Russell, David Hilbert, and Rudolph Carnap--followed by the mavericks who saw mathematics as a human artifact, including Aristotle, Locke, Hume, Mill, and Lakatos. What is Mathematics, Really? reflects an insider's view of mathematical life, and will be hotly debated by anyone with an interest in mathematics or the philosophy of science.
Author: Catalin Barboianu Publisher: PhilScience Press ISBN: 9731991980 Category : Education Languages : en Pages : 315
Book Description
This is not a mathematics book, but a book about mathematics, which addresses both student and teacher, with a goal as practical as possible, namely to initiate and smooth the way toward the student's full understanding of the mathematics taught in school. The customary procedural-formal approach to teaching mathematics has resulted in students' distorted vision of mathematics as a merely formal, instrumental, and calculatory discipline. Without the conceptual base of mathematics, students develop over time a "mathematical anxiety" and abandon any effort to understand mathematics, which becomes their "traditional enemy" in school. This work materializes the results of the inter- and trans-disciplinary research aimed toward the understanding of mathematics, which concluded that the fields with the potential to contribute to mathematics education in this respect, by unifying the procedural and conceptual approaches, are epistemology and philosophy of mathematics and science, as well as fundamentals and history of mathematics. These results argue that students' fear of mathematics can be annulled through a conceptual approach, and a student with a good conceptual understanding will be a better problem solver. The author has identified those zones and concepts from the above disciplines that can be adapted and processed for familiarizing the student with this type of knowledge, which should accompany the traditional content of school mathematics. The work was organized so as to create for the reader a unificatory image of the complex nature of mathematics, as well as a conceptual perspective ultimately necessary to the holistic understanding of school mathematics. The author talks about mathematics to convince readers that to understand mathematics means first to understand it as a whole, but also as part of a whole. The nature of mathematics, its primary concepts (like numbers and sets), its structures, language, methods, roles, and applicability, are all presented in their essential content, and the explanation of non-mathematical concepts is done in an accessible language and with many relevant examples.
Author: Alex Frith Publisher: Usborne Publishing Ltd ISBN: 1409585263 Category : Juvenile Nonfiction Languages : en Pages : 99
Book Description
A fascinating book about maths and its role in our lives. Discover what numbers are, how they help describe the world around us, and find out how brilliant mathematicians have changed the world. This book covers a wide range of maths topics, including algebra, geometry, charts and statistics, and feature humorous illustrations that bring the history of mathematics to life. This is a highly illustrated ebook that can only be read on the Kindle Fire or other tablet. "An excellent resource to help parents help children with tricky maths topics." - Parents in Touch
Author: Francis Su Publisher: Yale University Press ISBN: 0300237138 Category : Mathematics Languages : en Pages : 287
Book Description
"The ancient Greeks argued that the best life was filled with beauty, truth, justice, play and love. The mathematician Francis Su knows just where to find them."--Kevin Hartnett, Quanta Magazine" This is perhaps the most important mathematics book of our time. Francis Su shows mathematics is an experience of the mind and, most important, of the heart."--James Tanton, Global Math Project For mathematician Francis Su, a society without mathematical affection is like a city without concerts, parks, or museums. To miss out on mathematics is to live without experiencing some of humanity's most beautiful ideas. In this profound book, written for a wide audience but especially for those disenchanted by their past experiences, an award-winning mathematician and educator weaves parables, puzzles, and personal reflections to show how mathematics meets basic human desires--such as for play, beauty, freedom, justice, and love--and cultivates virtues essential for human flourishing. These desires and virtues, and the stories told here, reveal how mathematics is intimately tied to being human. Some lessons emerge from those who have struggled, including philosopher Simone Weil, whose own mathematical contributions were overshadowed by her brother's, and Christopher Jackson, who discovered mathematics as an inmate in a federal prison. Christopher's letters to the author appear throughout the book and show how this intellectual pursuit can--and must--be open to all.
Author: Bruce Schechter Publisher: Simon and Schuster ISBN: 0684859807 Category : Biography & Autobiography Languages : en Pages : 236
Book Description
Traces the eccentric life of legendary mathematician Paul Erdos, a wandering genius who fled his native Hungary during the Holocaust and helped devise the mathematical basis of computer science.
Author: David Wright Publisher: American Mathematical Soc. ISBN: 0821848739 Category : Mathematics Languages : en Pages : 178
Book Description
Many people intuitively sense that there is a connection between mathematics and music. If nothing else, both involve counting. There is, of course, much more to the association. David Wright's book is an investigation of the interrelationships between mathematics and music, reviewing the needed background concepts in each subject as they are encountered. Along the way, readers will augment their understanding of both mathematics and music. The text explores the common foundations of the two subjects, which are developed side by side. Musical and mathematical notions are brought together, such as scales and modular arithmetic, intervals and logarithms, tone and trigonometry, and timbre and harmonic analysis. When possible, discussions of musical and mathematical notions are directly interwoven. Occasionally the discourse dwells for a while on one subject and not the other, but eventually the connection is established, making this an integrative treatment of the two subjects. The book is a text for a freshman level college course suitable for musically inclined or mathematically inclined students, with the intent of breaking down any apprehension that either group might have for the other subject. Exercises are given at the end of each chapter. The mathematical prerequisites are a high-school level familiarity with algebra, trigonometry, functions, and graphs. Musically, the student should have had some exposure to musical staffs, standard clefs, and key signatures, though all of these are explained in the text.
Author: Oscar Levin Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform ISBN: 9781724572639 Category : Languages : en Pages : 238
Book Description
Note: This is a custom edition of Levin's full Discrete Mathematics text, arranged specifically for use in a discrete math course for future elementary and middle school teachers. (It is NOT a new and updated edition of the main text.)This gentle introduction to discrete mathematics is written for first and second year math majors, especially those who intend to teach. The text began as a set of lecture notes for the discrete mathematics course at the University of Northern Colorado. This course serves both as an introduction to topics in discrete math and as the "introduction to proof" course for math majors. The course is usually taught with a large amount of student inquiry, and this text is written to help facilitate this.Four main topics are covered: counting, sequences, logic, and graph theory. Along the way proofs are introduced, including proofs by contradiction, proofs by induction, and combinatorial proofs.While there are many fine discrete math textbooks available, this text has the following advantages: - It is written to be used in an inquiry rich course.- It is written to be used in a course for future math teachers.- It is open source, with low cost print editions and free electronic editions.
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Author: Richard Courant
Author: Richard Courant
Author: Reuben Hersh
Author: Catalin Barboianu
Author: Alex Frith
Author: Serge Lang
Author: Francis Su
Author: Bruce Schechter
Author: David Wright
Author: Oscar Levin