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The Best Writing on Mathematics 2018
The year's finest mathematical writing from around the world
This annual anthology brings together the year's finest mathematics writing from around the world. Featuring promising new voices alongside some of the foremost names in the field, The Best Writing on Mathematics 2018 makes available to a wide audience many pieces not easily found anywhere else--and you don't need to be a mathematician to enjoy them. These essays delve into the history, philosophy, teaching, and everyday aspects of math, offering surprising insights into its nature, meaning, and practice--and taking readers behind the scenes of today's hottest mathematical debates.
James Grime shows how to build subtly mischievous dice for playing slightly unfair games and Michael Barany traces how our appreciation of the societal importance of mathematics has developed since World War II. In other essays, Francis Su extolls the inherent values of learning, doing, and sharing mathematics, and Margaret Wertheim takes us on a mathematical exploration of the mind and the world--with glimpses at science, philosophy, music, art, and even crocheting. And there's much, much more.
In addition to presenting the year's most memorable math writing, this must-have anthology includes an introduction by the editor and a bibliography of other notable pieces on mathematics.
This is a must-read for anyone interested in where math has taken us--and where it is headed.
This annual anthology brings together the year's finest mathematics writing from around the world. Featuring promising new voices alongside some of the foremost names in the field, The Best Writing on Mathematics 2018 makes available to a wide audience many pieces not easily found anywhere else--and you don't need to be a mathematician to enjoy them. These essays delve into the history, philosophy, teaching, and everyday aspects of math, offering surprising insights into its nature, meaning, and practice--and taking readers behind the scenes of today's hottest mathematical debates.
James Grime shows how to build subtly mischievous dice for playing slightly unfair games and Michael Barany traces how our appreciation of the societal importance of mathematics has developed since World War II. In other essays, Francis Su extolls the inherent values of learning, doing, and sharing mathematics, and Margaret Wertheim takes us on a mathematical exploration of the mind and the world--with glimpses at science, philosophy, music, art, and even crocheting. And there's much, much more.
In addition to presenting the year's most memorable math writing, this must-have anthology includes an introduction by the editor and a bibliography of other notable pieces on mathematics.
This is a must-read for anyone interested in where math has taken us--and where it is headed.
- GenresMathematicsNonfiction
250 pages, Paperback
Published December 4, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 8, 2026
Im Band von 2018 finden sich erneut Beiträge, die besondere Aufmerksamkeit verdienen. Eine ausführlichere Einführung zum Ausgangspunkt dieser Reihe findet sich hier:
The Best Writing on Mathematics 2010
Jahrgang 2018 - Mathematik für das gute Leben: Hervorstechende Publikationen
* „Mathematics for Human Flourishing“ von Francis Edward Su. Einer der einflussreichsten Texte der letzten Jahre. Su argumentiert, dass Mathematik ein menschliches Grundbedürfnis befriedigt: die Suche nach Wahrheit, Schönheit und Gerechtigkeit. Er befreit die Mathematik aus dem Kerker der bloßen Technik.
* Margaret Wertheim – "How To Play Mathematics": Wertheim zeigt, wie spielerische Ansätze und physische Modelle den Zugang zu komplexen mathematischen Strukturen öffnen können.
* Daniel Mansfield & N. J. Wildberger – "The World’s First Trigonometry Revealed in an Ancient Babylonian Tablet": Eine archäometrische Sensation über eine babylonische Tontafel, die eine völlig andere, exaktere Form der Trigonometrie als die der alten Griechen nahelegt.
Jahrgang 2018 - Mathematik für das gute Leben: Hervorstechende Publikationen
* „Mathematics for Human Flourishing“ von Francis Edward Su. Einer der einflussreichsten Texte der letzten Jahre. Su argumentiert, dass Mathematik ein menschliches Grundbedürfnis befriedigt: die Suche nach Wahrheit, Schönheit und Gerechtigkeit. Er befreit die Mathematik aus dem Kerker der bloßen Technik.
* Margaret Wertheim – "How To Play Mathematics": Wertheim zeigt, wie spielerische Ansätze und physische Modelle den Zugang zu komplexen mathematischen Strukturen öffnen können.
* Daniel Mansfield & N. J. Wildberger – "The World’s First Trigonometry Revealed in an Ancient Babylonian Tablet": Eine archäometrische Sensation über eine babylonische Tontafel, die eine völlig andere, exaktere Form der Trigonometrie als die der alten Griechen nahelegt.
August 30, 2026
Highlights:
"Beauty Is Not All There Is to Aesthetics in Mathematics" by Robert S. D. Thomas
"The Science of Brute Force" by Marijn J. H. Heule and Oliver Kullmann
"The Sleeping Beauty Controversy" by Peter Winkler
"What Does Active Learning Mean for Mathematicians?" by Benjamin Braun, Priscilla Bremser, Art M. Duval, Elise Lockwood, and Diana White
"Beauty Is Not All There Is to Aesthetics in Mathematics" by Robert S. D. Thomas
"The Science of Brute Force" by Marijn J. H. Heule and Oliver Kullmann
"The Sleeping Beauty Controversy" by Peter Winkler
"What Does Active Learning Mean for Mathematicians?" by Benjamin Braun, Priscilla Bremser, Art M. Duval, Elise Lockwood, and Diana White
July 3, 2019
Surprisingly little math. I ended up skimming many history/philosophy narratives. Winners: Sleeping Beauty and Plimpton 322.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews