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Mathematician's Delight
by
W.W. Sawyer
'The main object of this book is to dispel the fear of mathematics. Many people regard mathematicians as a race apart, possessed of almost supernatural powers. While this is very flattering for successful mathematicians, it is very bad for those who, for one reason or another, are attempting to learn the subject.'
W.W. Sawyer's deep understanding of how we learn and his liv
...morePaperback, 240 pages
Published
September 3rd 1991
by Penguin Books
(first published June 30th 1950)
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W. W. Sawyer, Mathematician's Delight (Penguin, 1943)
I approached this with some trepidation, as when I picked it up recently, I discovered a makeshift bookmark (that had a date on it-- July of 1994) stuck at the beginning of chapter four. Had I started it and just forgotten, or had I given up thanks to the author's style?
The former, thankfully. While Sawyer may well have been a fine teacher-- and this book does present that side of him a number of times-- his prose is often dry as week-old brea...more
I approached this with some trepidation, as when I picked it up recently, I discovered a makeshift bookmark (that had a date on it-- July of 1994) stuck at the beginning of chapter four. Had I started it and just forgotten, or had I given up thanks to the author's style?
The former, thankfully. While Sawyer may well have been a fine teacher-- and this book does present that side of him a number of times-- his prose is often dry as week-old brea...more
W. W. Sawyer is one of the best -- possibly THE best -- writer of mathematics in a "popularizing" vein. He is [was, I should say] a real teacher at heart, but every inch a true mathematician who knows all of the technical nuances as well. I strongly recommend EVERYTHING this man has written.
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"So long as a subject seems dull, you can be sure that you are approaching it from the wrong angle" - W.W.Sawyer
I don't have a lot to say about Mathematician's Delight other than this: If you or someone you know happen to be curious about math but have been afraid to explore it, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND Mathematician's Delight as a starting point! W.W. Sawyer KNOWS how to teach and demonstrates it throughout this thoughtful and helpful little book. Would that he could update it for 2008 and beyond...
Feb 25, 2008
J.B. B.
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to J.B. by:
Kareem Youssef
this book is about realizing math (at least on the applied level) is a human language, from our experiences, and is used via abstraction. My friend and teacher Kareem told me to read to help me get back into thinking and using Math as a language, and to help me work out financial problems in grad school using math i may not yet understand.
A good book for high school students? Nice writing style. The book started off great, but then sort of wandered off a bit in the later half.
Apr 23, 2013
Asd
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Walter Warwick Sawyer was a mathematician, mathematics educator and author. He won scholarships to Highgate Shool and St John's College Cambridge, where he specialized in the mathematics of quantum theory and relativity. He was an assistant lecturer in mathematics from 1933 - 1937 at University College, Dundee and from 1937 - 1944 at Manchester University. From 1945 - 1947 he was the head of mathe...more
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