Mathematics Is about the World

Mathematics Is about the World PDF Author: Robert E. Knapp
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781500551971
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
What is mathematics about? Is there a mathematical universe glimpsed by a mathematical intuition? Or is mathematics an arbitrary game of symbols, with no inherent meaning, that somehow finds application to life on earth? Robert Knapp holds, on the contrary, that mathematics is about the world. His book develops and applies its alternative viewpoint, first, to elementary geometry and the number system and, then, to more advanced topics, such as topology and group representations. Its theme is that mathematics, however abstract, arises from and is shaped by requirements of indirect measurement. Eratosthenes, in 200 BC, demonstrated the power of indirect measurement when he estimated the circumference of the earth by measuring a shadow at noon, in Alexandria, on the day of the summer solstice. Establishing geometric relationships, solving equations, finding approximations, and, generally, discovering quantitative relationships are tools of indirect measurement: They are the core of mathematics, the drivers of its development, and the heart of its power to enhance our lives.

Mathematics Is about the World

Mathematics Is about the World PDF Author: Robert E. Knapp
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781500551971
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book Here

Book Description
What is mathematics about? Is there a mathematical universe glimpsed by a mathematical intuition? Or is mathematics an arbitrary game of symbols, with no inherent meaning, that somehow finds application to life on earth? Robert Knapp holds, on the contrary, that mathematics is about the world. His book develops and applies its alternative viewpoint, first, to elementary geometry and the number system and, then, to more advanced topics, such as topology and group representations. Its theme is that mathematics, however abstract, arises from and is shaped by requirements of indirect measurement. Eratosthenes, in 200 BC, demonstrated the power of indirect measurement when he estimated the circumference of the earth by measuring a shadow at noon, in Alexandria, on the day of the summer solstice. Establishing geometric relationships, solving equations, finding approximations, and, generally, discovering quantitative relationships are tools of indirect measurement: They are the core of mathematics, the drivers of its development, and the heart of its power to enhance our lives.

Mathematics and the Physical World

Mathematics and the Physical World PDF Author: Morris Kline
Publisher: Courier Corporation
ISBN: 0486241041
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 513

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Book Description
"Kline is a first-class teacher and an able writer. . . . This is an enlarging and a brilliant book." ? Scientific American "Dr. Morris Kline has succeeded brilliantly in explaining the nature of much that is basic in math, and how it is used in science." ? San Francisco Chronicle Since the major branches of mathematics grew and expanded in conjunction with science, the most effective way to appreciate and understand mathematics is in terms of the study of nature. Unfortunately, the relationship of mathematics to the study of nature is neglected in dry, technique-oriented textbooks, and it has remained for Professor Morris Kline to describe the simultaneous growth of mathematics and the physical sciences in this remarkable book. In a manner that reflects both erudition and enthusiasm, the author provides a stimulating account of the development of basic mathematics from arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and trigonometry, to calculus, differential equations, and the non-Euclidean geometries. At the same time, Dr. Kline shows how mathematics is used in optics, astronomy, motion under the law of gravitation, acoustics, electromagnetism, and other phenomena. Historical and biographical materials are also included, while mathematical notation has been kept to a minimum. This is an excellent presentation of mathematical ideas from the time of the Greeks to the modern era. It will be of great interest to the mathematically inclined high school and college student, as well as to any reader who wants to understand ? perhaps for the first time ? the true greatness of mathematical achievements.

Mathematics and the Real World

Mathematics and the Real World PDF Author: Zvi Artstein
Publisher: Prometheus Books
ISBN: 1616145463
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 428

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Book Description
In this accessible and illuminating study of how the science of mathematics developed, a veteran math researcher and educator looks at the ways in which our evolutionary makeup is both a help and a hindrance to the study of math. Artstein chronicles the discovery of important mathematical connections between mathematics and the real world from ancient times to the present. The author then describes some of the contemporary applications of mathematics—in probability theory, in the study of human behavior, and in combination with computers, which give mathematics unprecedented power. The author concludes with an insightful discussion of why mathematics, for most people, is so frustrating. He argues that the rigorous logical structure of math goes against the grain of our predisposed ways of thinking as shaped by evolution, presumably because the talent needed to cope with logical mathematics gave the human race as a whole no evolutionary advantage. With this in mind, he offers ways to overcome these innate impediments in the teaching of math.

The World of Mathematics

The World of Mathematics PDF Author: James R. Newman
Publisher: Рипол Классик
ISBN: 5881361555
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 527

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Book Description


Descartes' Dream

Descartes' Dream PDF Author: Philip J. Davis
Publisher: Courier Corporation
ISBN: 0486442527
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 354

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Book Description
These provocative essays take a modern look at the 17th-century thinker's dream, examining the influences of mathematics on society, particularly in light of technological advances. They survey the conditions that elicit the application of mathematic principles; the applications' effectiveness; and how applied mathematics transform perceptions of reality. 1987 edition.

Step into the World of Mathematics

Step into the World of Mathematics PDF Author: Samuli Siltanen
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030733432
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 127

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Book Description
Modern life is increasingly relying on digital technology, which in turn runs on mathematics. However, this underlying math is hidden from us. That is mostly a good thing since we do not want to be solving equations and calculating fractions just to get things done in our everyday business. But the mathematical details do matter for anyone who wants to understand how stuff works, or wishes to create something new in the jungle of apps and algorithms. This book takes a look at the mathematical models behind weather forecasting, climate change prediction, artificial intelligence, medical imaging and computer graphics. The reader is expected to have only a curious mind; technical math skills are not needed for enjoying this text.

The World of Mathematics

The World of Mathematics PDF Author: James Roy Newman
Publisher: Courier Corporation
ISBN: 9780486411507
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 728

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Book Description
Vol. 2 of a monumental 4-volume set covers mathematics and the physical world, mathematics and social science, and the laws of chance, with non-technical essays by eminent mathematicians, economists, scientists, and others.

Reading and Writing the World with Mathematics

Reading and Writing the World with Mathematics PDF Author: Eric Gutstein
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136284656
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 274

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Book Description
Mathematics education in the United States can reproduce social inequalities whether schools use either "basic-skills" curricula to prepare mainly low-income students of color for low-skilled service jobs or "standards-based" curricula to ready students for knowledge-intensive positions. And working for fundamental social change and rectifying injustice are rarely included in any mathematics curriculum. Reading and Writing the World with Mathematics argues that mathematics education should prepare students to investigate and critique injustice, and to challenge, in words and actions, oppressive structures and acts. Based on teacher-research, the book provides a theoretical framework and practical examples for how mathematics educators can connect schooling to a larger sociopolitical context and concretely teach mathematics for social justice.

Mathematics in Nature

Mathematics in Nature PDF Author: John Adam
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 1400841011
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 408

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Book Description
From rainbows, river meanders, and shadows to spider webs, honeycombs, and the markings on animal coats, the visible world is full of patterns that can be described mathematically. Examining such readily observable phenomena, this book introduces readers to the beauty of nature as revealed by mathematics and the beauty of mathematics as revealed in nature. Generously illustrated, written in an informal style, and replete with examples from everyday life, Mathematics in Nature is an excellent and undaunting introduction to the ideas and methods of mathematical modeling. It illustrates how mathematics can be used to formulate and solve puzzles observed in nature and to interpret the solutions. In the process, it teaches such topics as the art of estimation and the effects of scale, particularly what happens as things get bigger. Readers will develop an understanding of the symbiosis that exists between basic scientific principles and their mathematical expressions as well as a deeper appreciation for such natural phenomena as cloud formations, halos and glories, tree heights and leaf patterns, butterfly and moth wings, and even puddles and mud cracks. Developed out of a university course, this book makes an ideal supplemental text for courses in applied mathematics and mathematical modeling. It will also appeal to mathematics educators and enthusiasts at all levels, and is designed so that it can be dipped into at leisure.

Einstein's Heroes

Einstein's Heroes PDF Author: Robyn Arianrhod
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 9780195308907
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 340

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Book Description
Blending science, history, and biography, this book reveals the mysteries of mathematics, focusing on the life and work of three of Albert Einstein's heroes: Isaac Newton, Michael Faraday, and James Clerk Maxwell.