Meaning in Mathematics

Meaning in Mathematics
Author: John Polkinghorne
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Total Pages: 326
Release: 2011-05-19
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 0191621293

Is mathematics a highly sophisticated intellectual game in which the adepts display their skill by tackling invented problems, or are mathematicians engaged in acts of discovery as they explore an independent realm of mathematical reality? Why does this seemingly abstract discipline provide the key to unlocking the deep secrets of the physical universe? How one answers these questions will significantly influence metaphysical thinking about reality. This book is intended to fill a gap between popular 'wonders of mathematics' books and the technical writings of the philosophers of mathematics. The chapters are written by some of the world's finest mathematicians, mathematical physicists and philosophers of mathematics, each giving their perspective on this fascinating debate. Every chapter is followed by a short response from another member of the author team, reinforcing the main theme and raising further questions. Accessible to anyone interested in what mathematics really means, and useful for mathematicians and philosophers of science at all levels, Meaning in Mathematics offers deep new insights into a subject many people take for granted.

Meaning in Mathematics Education

Meaning in Mathematics Education
Author: Jeremy Kilpatrick
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 267
Release: 2006-03-30
Genre: Education
ISBN: 0387240403

What does it mean to know mathematics? How does meaning in mathematics education connect to common sense or to the meaning of mathematics itself? How are meanings constructed and communicated and what are the dilemmas related to these processes? There are many answers to these questions, some of which might appear to be contradictory. Thus understanding the complexity of meaning in mathematics education is a matter of huge importance. There are twin directions in which discussions have developed—theoretical and practical—and this book seeks to move the debate forward along both dimensions while seeking to relate them where appropriate. A discussion of meaning can start from a theoretical examination of mathematics and how mathematicians over time have made sense of their work. However, from a more practical perspective, anybody involved in teaching mathematics is faced with the need to orchestrate the myriad of meanings derived from multiple sources that students develop of mathematical knowledge. This book presents a wide variety of theoretical reflections and research results about meaning in mathematics and mathematics education based on long-term and collective reflection by the group of authors as a whole. It is the outcome of the work of the BACOMET (BAsic COmponents of Mathematics Education for Teachers) group who spent several years deliberating on this topic. The ten chapters in this book, both separately and together, provide a substantial contribution to clarifying the complex issue of meaning in mathematics education. This book is of interest to researchers in mathematics education, graduate students of mathematics education, under graduate students in mathematics, secondary mathematics teachers and primary teachers with an interest in mathematics.

Numbers

Numbers
Author: Graham Flegg
Publisher: Courier Corporation
Total Pages: 307
Release: 2013-05-13
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 0486166511

Readable, jargon-free book examines the earliest endeavors to count and record numbers, initial attempts to solve problems by using equations, and origins of infinite cardinal arithmetic. "Surprisingly exciting." — Choice.

Symbols and Meanings in School Mathematics

Symbols and Meanings in School Mathematics
Author: David Pimm
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 235
Release: 2002-11
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1134823665

This timely book explores the various uses and aspects of symbols in school mathematics and the notion of mathematical meaning. In addition, the author addresses a number of key issues for the 1990s eg.changes within mathematical functioning.

Perspectives on Practice and Meaning in Mathematics and Science Classrooms

Perspectives on Practice and Meaning in Mathematics and Science Classrooms
Author: D. Clarke
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 378
Release: 2001-03-31
Genre: Education
ISBN: 9780792369394

This is a variegated picture of science and mathematics classrooms that challenges a research tradition that converges on the truth. The reader is surrounded with different images of the classroom and will find his beliefs confirmed or challenged. The book is for educational researchers, research students, and practitioners with an interest in optimizing the effectiveness of classrooms as environments for learning.

What is Mathematics?

What is Mathematics?
Author: Richard Courant
Publisher:
Total Pages: 596
Release: 1996
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 9780195105193

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.

Math Dictionary

Math Dictionary
Author: Eula Ewing Monroe
Publisher: Astra Publishing House
Total Pages: 217
Release: 2006-10-01
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 1590784138

Here's real help for math students. From abacus to zero property of multiplication, this handy reference guide for students contains more than five hundred common mathematical terms. Written in simple language and illustrated with hundreds of helpful photographs and drawings, Math Dictionary takes the mystery out of math.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Mathematics

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Mathematics
Author: Christopher Clapham
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Total Pages: 545
Release: 2014-05-22
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 019104461X

Authoritative and reliable, this A-Z provides jargon-free definitions for even the most technical mathematical terms. With over 3,000 entries ranging from Achilles paradox to zero matrix, it covers all commonly encountered terms and concepts from pure and applied mathematics and statistics, for example, linear algebra, optimisation, nonlinear equations, and differential equations. In addition, there are entries on major mathematicians and on topics of more general interest, such as fractals, game theory, and chaos. Using graphs, diagrams, and charts to render definitions as comprehensible as possible, entries are clear and accessible. Almost 200 new entries have been added to this edition, including terms such as arrow paradox, nested set, and symbolic logic. Useful appendices follow the A-Z dictionary and include lists of Nobel Prize winners and Fields' medallists, Greek letters, formulae, and tables of inequalities, moments of inertia, Roman numerals, a geometry summary, additional trigonometric values of special angles, and many more. This edition contains recommended web links, which are accessible and kept up to date via the Dictionary of Mathematics companion website. Fully revised and updated in line with curriculum and degree requirements, this dictionary is indispensable for students and teachers of mathematics, and for anyone encountering mathematics in the workplace.