The Best Writing on Mathematics 2011
By: Mircea Pitici, editor
Series: Best Writing on Mathematics
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Published: Nov 27, 2011
Place of publication: Princeton, N.J., USA
Language: eng
Number of pages: 383
ISBN-13: 9780691153155
Copyright date: 2012
Subjects: Mathematics; Popular works
Description: "This 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 2011 makes available to a wide audience many articles not easily found anywhere else -- and you don't need to be a mathematician to enjoy them. These writings offer surprising insights into the nature, meaning, and practice of mathematics today. They delve into the history, philosophy, teaching, and everyday occurrences of math, and take readers behind the scenes of today's hottest mathematical debates. Here Ian Hacking discusses the salient features that distinguish mathematics from other disciplines of the mind; Doris Schattschneider identifies some of the mathematical inspirations of M. C. Escher's art; Jordan Ellenberg describes compressed sensing, a mathematical field that is reshaping the way people use large sets of data; Erica Klarreich reports on the use of algorithms in the job market for doctors; and much, much more. In addition to presenting the year's most memorable writings on mathematics, this must-have anthology includes a foreword by esteemed physicist and mathematician Freeman Dyson. This book belongs on the shelf of anyone interested in where math has taken us -- and where it is headed."--Publisher's description.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references.
Table of contents: title: What is mathematics for? / Underwood Dudley; title: A tisket, a tasket, an Apollonian gasket / Dana Mackenzie; title: The quest for God's number / Rik van Grol; title: Meta-morphism : from graduate student to networked mathematician / Andrew Schultz; title: One, two, many : individuality and collectivity in mathematics / Melvyn B. Nathanson; title: Reflections on the decline of mathematical tables / Martin Campbell-Kelly; title: Under-represented, then over-represented : a memoir of Jews in American mathematics / Reuben Hersh; title: Did over-reliance on mathematical models for risk assessment create the financial crisis? / David J. Hand; title: Fill in the blanks : using math to turn lo-res datasets into hi-res samples / Jordan Ellenberg; title: The great principles of computing / Peter J. Denning; title: Computer generation of ribbed sculptures / James Hamlin and Carlo H. Séquin; title: Lorenz system offers manifold possibilities for art / Barry A. Cipra; title: The mathematical side of M.C. Escher / Doris Schattschneider; title: Celebrating mathematics in stone and bronze / Helaman Ferguson and Claire Ferguson; title: Mathematics education : theory, practice, and memories over 50 years / John Mason; title: Thinking and comprehending in the mathematics classroom / Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, and Heather Anderson; title: Teaching research : encouraging discoveries / Francis Edward Su; title: Reflections of an accidental theorist / Alan H. Schoenfeld; title: The conjoint origin of proof and theoretical physics / Hans Niels Jahnke; title: What makes mathematics mathematics? / Ian Hacking; title: What anti-realism in philosophy of mathematics must offer / Feng Ye; title: Seeing numbers / Ivan M. Havel; title: Autism and mathematical talent / Ioan James; title: How much math is too much math? / Chris J. Budd and Rob Eastaway; title: Hidden dimensions / Marianne Freiberger; title: Playing with matches / Erica Klarreich.