archive

How to do actual math

Kimmo Eriksson (Stockholm): The Nonsense Math Effect. “Maths is as rich, inspiring and human as literature”: An interview with Daniel Tammet, author of Thinking in Numbers: How Maths Illuminates Our Lives. Brian Hayes reviews The Fractalist: Memoir of a Scientific Maverick by Benoit B. Mandelbrot (and more). A set of guidelines adopted by 45 states this year may turn children into "little mathematicians" who don't know how to do actual math. Allen Stenger reviews The Joy of x: A Guided Tour of Math, from One to Infinity by Steven Strogatz. Kevin Hartnett on math even mathematicians don't understand. Alex Bellos, author of Alex's Adventures in Numberland, on popular attempts to explain the history of counting and numbers. The first chapter from Heavenly Mathematics: The Forgotten Art of Spherical Trigonometry by Glen Van Brummelen. Why do mathematicians always agree? Christophe Heintz wants to know. Hyperspace is the place: Scott McLemee reviews The Best Writing on Mathematics 2012. Like math? Thank your motivation, not IQ. Sarah Fecht on 6 ways to expand your mind at the Math Museum.