Introduction to Cultural Mathematics

Author: Thomas E. Gilsdorf
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 111811552X
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 323

Book Description
INTRODUCTION TO CULTURAL MATHEMATICS Challenges readers to think creatively about mathematics and ponder its role in their own daily lives Cultural mathematics, or ethnomathematics as it is also known, studies the relationship between mathematics and culture—with the ultimate goal of contributing to an appreciation of the connection between the two. Introduction to Cultural Mathematics: With Case Studies in the Otomies and Incas integrates both theoretical and applied aspects of the topic, promotes discussions on the development of mathematical concepts, and provides a comprehensive reference for teaching and learning about multicultural mathematical practices. This illuminating book provides a nontraditional, evidence-based approach to mathematics that promotes diversity and respect for cultural heritages. Part One covers such major concepts as cultural aspects of mathematics, numeration and number symbols, kinship relations, art and decoration, games, divination, and calendars. Part Two takes those concepts and applies them to fascinating case studies of both the Otomies of Central Mexico and the Incas of South America. Throughout the book, numerous illustrations, examples, and motivational questions promote an interactive understanding of the topic. Each chapter begins with questions that encourage a cooperative, inquiry-based approach to learning and concludes with a series of exercises that allow readers to test their understanding of the presented material. Introduction to Cultural Mathematics is an ideal book for courses on cultural mathematics, the history of mathematics, and cultural studies. The book is also a valuable resource and reference for anyone interested in the connections between mathematics, culture, anthropology, and history.

A Cultural Paradox: Fun in Mathematics

Author: Jeffrey A. Zilahy
Publisher: Jeffrey Allen Zilahy
ISBN: 0557122643
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 112

Book Description
Do you think "math = awesome" is a true statement? After reading this book, you might change your answer to a yes. With "jargon avoidance" in mind, this recreational math book gives you the lowdown on why math is fun, interesting and relevant in today's society. Intended for anyone who is curious about math and where it is circa 2010. This book is less concerned with exploring the mathematical details than it is with exploring the overall impact of various discoveries and insights, and aims to be insightful, cutting edge-y and mathematically rigorous.

A History of Mathematical Notations

Author: Florian Cajori
Publisher: Courier Corporation
ISBN: 0486161161
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 865

Book Description
This classic study notes the origin of a mathematical symbol, the competition it encountered, its spread among writers in different countries, its rise to popularity, and its eventual decline or ultimate survival. 1929 edition.

Linguistic and Cultural Influences on Learning Mathematics

Author: Rodney R. Cocking
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136562567
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 329

Book Description
The combined impact of linguistic, cultural, educational and cognitive factors on mathematics learning is considered in this unique book. By uniting the diverse research models and perspectives of these fields, the contributors describe how language and cognitive factors can influence mathematical learning, thinking and problem solving. The authors contend that cognitive skills are heavily dependent upon linguistic skills and both are critical to the representational knowledge intimately linked to school achievement in mathematics.

A Cultural History of Reforming Math for All

Author: Jennifer D. Diaz
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317269187
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 209

Book Description
While many accept that math is a universal, culturally indifferent subject in school, this book demonstrates that this is anything but true. Building off of a historically conscious understanding of school reform, Diaz makes the case that the language of mathematics, and the symbols through which it is communicated, is not merely about the alleged cultural indifference of mathematical thinking; rather, mathematical teaching relates to historical, cultural, political, and social understandings of equality that order who the child is and should be. Focusing on elementary math for all education reforms in America since the mid-twentieth century, Diaz offers an alternative way of thinking about the subject that recognizes the historical making of contemporary notions of inequality and difference.

Mathematics and Religion

Author: Javier Leach
Publisher: Templeton Press
ISBN: 9781599471495
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
Mathematics and Religion: Our Languages of Sign and Symbol is the sixth title published in the Templeton Science and Religion Series, in which scientists from a wide range of fields distill their experience and knowledge into brief tours of their respective specialties. In this volume, Javier Leach, a mathematician and Jesuit priest, leads a fascinating study of the historical development of mathematical language and its influence on the evolution of metaphysical and theological languages. Leach traces three historical moments of change in this evolution: the introduction of the deductive method in Greece, the use of mathematics as a language of science in modern times, and the formalization of mathematical languages in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. As he unfolds this fascinating history, Leach notes the striking differences and interrelations between the two languages of science and religion. Until now there has been little reflection on these similarities and differences, or about how both languages can complement and enrich each other.

The Personality of Math

Author: Paul A. Wagner
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1475862997
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 153

Book Description
If our goal is to broaden and deepen students’ awareness and understanding of mathematics, we advance the idea that engaging students with what we metaphorically call the personality of math. That is, we think that students who engage with the math’s (1) human champions, (2) with its history and philosophy, and (3) with the nature of its problems and inferential challenges, are more likely to have a positive attitude toward math that will encourage greater learning.

Learning Mathematics by Cultural-Historical Theory Implementation

Author: Aleksander Veraksa
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3031668944
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 278

Book Description

Math Mystic's Guide to Creative Spirituality

Author: Sarah Voss
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 166674249X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 314

Book Description
The Math Mystic’s Guide to Creative Spirituality is unique, provocative, engaging, and a masterpiece of philosophical and mystical exploration. It offers gourmet treats for those with spiritual hunger, a feast of innovative perspectives on building social collateral (trust, forgiveness, resilience . . .), and intellectual desserts for the mathematically inclined. User-friendly for the non-mathematician, the book also provides a smorgasbord of resources for those who want to know more about the math. Deeply personal but also scholarly, with an unprecedented use of mathematical metaphors, this book will appeal to mathematicians, scientists, teachers, philosophers, religious educators, and spiritual seekers of many persuasions. A math professor before becoming a Unitarian Universalist minister, the author has compiled herein a lifetime of creative study about the relationship between math and religion. She has pioneered ways to use mathematics to help clarify such spiritual ideas as God, fairness, equality, redemption, and the nature of things. In the process she coined the terms “matheology” and “mathaphor,” introduced the notion of math sermons, and has expanded the concept of moral math. This exciting collection of essays (with a little poetry as garnish) uses math as a language to nourish the spiritual heart of our global society.

Numbers and the Making of Us

Author: Caleb Everett
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674979141
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 308

Book Description
“A fascinating book.” —James Ryerson, New York Times Book Review A Smithsonian Best Science Book of the Year Winner of the PROSE Award for Best Book in Language & Linguistics Carved into our past and woven into our present, numbers shape our perceptions of the world far more than we think. In this sweeping account of how the invention of numbers sparked a revolution in human thought and culture, Caleb Everett draws on new discoveries in psychology, anthropology, and linguistics to reveal the many things made possible by numbers, from the concept of time to writing, agriculture, and commerce. Numbers are a tool, like the wheel, developed and refined over millennia. They allow us to grasp quantities precisely, but recent research confirms that they are not innate—and without numbers, we could not fully grasp quantities greater than three. Everett considers the number systems that have developed in different societies as he shares insights from his fascinating work with indigenous Amazonians. “This is bold, heady stuff... The breadth of research Everett covers is impressive, and allows him to develop a narrative that is both global and compelling... Numbers is eye-opening, even eye-popping.” —New Scientist “A powerful and convincing case for Everett’s main thesis: that numbers are neither natural nor innate to humans.” —Wall Street Journal