Mathematical Circles: Volume 3, Mathematical Circles Adieu, Return to Mathematical Circles

Mathematical Circles: Volume 3, Mathematical Circles Adieu, Return to Mathematical Circles
Author: Howard W. Eves
Publisher: Mathematical Association of America
Total Pages: 396
Release: 2004-06-24
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 9780883855447

For many years, famed mathematics historian and master teacher Howard Eves collected stories and anecdotes about mathematics and mathematicians, gathering them together in six Mathematical Circles books. Thousands of teachers of mathematics have read these stories and anecdotes for their own enjoyment and used them in the classroom - to add entertainment, to introduce a human element, to inspire the student, and to forge some links of cultural history. All six of the Mathematical Circles books have been reissued as a three-volume edition. This three-volume set is a must for all who enjoy the mathematical enterprise, especially those who appreciate the human and cultural aspects of mathematics.

Famous Puzzles of Great Mathematicians

Famous Puzzles of Great Mathematicians
Author: Miodrag Petkovi_
Publisher: American Mathematical Soc.
Total Pages: 346
Release: 2009-09-02
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 0821848143

This entertaining book presents a collection of 180 famous mathematical puzzles and intriguing elementary problems that great mathematicians have posed, discussed, and/or solved. The selected problems do not require advanced mathematics, making this book accessible to a variety of readers. Mathematical recreations offer a rich playground for both amateur and professional mathematicians. Believing that creative stimuli and aesthetic considerations are closely related, great mathematicians from ancient times to the present have always taken an interest in puzzles and diversions. The goal of this book is to show that famous mathematicians have all communicated brilliant ideas, methodological approaches, and absolute genius in mathematical thoughts by using recreational mathematics as a framework. Concise biographies of many mathematicians mentioned in the text are also included. The majority of the mathematical problems presented in this book originated in number theory, graph theory, optimization, and probability. Others are based on combinatorial and chess problems, while still others are geometrical and arithmetical puzzles. This book is intended to be both entertaining as well as an introduction to various intriguing mathematical topics and ideas. Certainly, many stories and famous puzzles can be very useful to prepare classroom lectures, to inspire and amuse students, and to instill affection for mathematics.

Mathematical Apocrypha Redux: More Stories and Anecdotes of Mathematicians and the Mathematical

Mathematical Apocrypha Redux: More Stories and Anecdotes of Mathematicians and the Mathematical
Author: Steven G. Krantz
Publisher: American Mathematical Soc.
Total Pages: 306
Release: 2019-11-25
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 1470451727

A companion to Mathematical Apocrypha (published in 2002) this second volume of anecdotes, stories, quips, and ruminations about mathematics and mathematicians is sure to please. It differs from other books of its type in that many of the stories are from the twentieth century and many about currently living mathematicians. A number of the best stories come from the author's first-hand experience. The writing is lively, engaging, and informative. There are stories the reader may wish to share with students and colleagues, friends, and relatives. The purpose of the book is to explore and to celebrate the many facets of mathematical life. The stories reveal mathematicians as intense, human, and sympathetic. They should resonate with readers everywhere. This book will appeal to students from high school through graduate school, to faculty and mathematical scientists of all stripes, and also to physicists, engineer, and anyone interested in mathematics.

Magnificent Mistakes in Mathematics

Magnificent Mistakes in Mathematics
Author: Alfred S. Posamentier
Publisher: Prometheus Books
Total Pages: 298
Release: 2013-08-13
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 1616147482

Two veteran math educators demonstrate how some "magnificent mistakes" had profound consequences for our understanding of mathematics' key concepts. In the nineteenth century, English mathematician William Shanks spent fifteen years calculating the value of pi, setting a record for the number of decimal places. Later, his calculation was reproduced using large wooden numerals to decorate the cupola of a hall in the Palais de la Découverte in Paris. However, in 1946, with the aid of a mechanical desk calculator that ran for seventy hours, it was discovered that there was a mistake in the 528th decimal place. Today, supercomputers have determined the value of pi to trillions of decimal places. This is just one of the amusing and intriguing stories about mistakes in mathematics in this layperson's guide to mathematical principles. In another example, the authors show that when we "prove" that every triangle is isosceles, we are violating a concept not even known to Euclid - that of "betweenness." And if we disregard the time-honored Pythagorean theorem, this is a misuse of the concept of infinity. Even using correct procedures can sometimes lead to absurd - but enlightening - results. Requiring no more than high-school-level math competency, this playful excursion through the nuances of math will give you a better grasp of this fundamental, all-important science.

Lobachevski Illuminated

Lobachevski Illuminated
Author: Seth Braver
Publisher: MAA
Total Pages: 250
Release: 2011
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 0883859793

A historical introduction to non-Euclidean geometry.

R.L. Moore

R.L. Moore
Author: John Parker
Publisher: MAA
Total Pages: 406
Release: 2005
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9780883855508

"Publications of Robert Lee Moore"--P. 359-363.