Mathematics Rhyme and Reason

Description

Mathematics: Rhyme and Reason is an exploration of the aesthetic value of mathematics and the culture of the mathematics community. This book introduces budding mathematicians of all ages to mathematical ways of thinking through a series of chapters that mix episodes from the author's life with explanations of intriguing mathematical concepts and the stories of the mathematicians who discovered them. The chapters can be read independently, and most require only a background in basic high school algebra or geometry to appreciate the topics covered. Part personal memoir, part appreciation of the.  Read more... Cover Title page Preface Chapter 1. The Riddle Chapter 2. Primes Chapter 3. Some Geometry Chapter 4. Mysterious Pattern Chapter 5. Some Things Add Up. Some Don't. Chapter 6. A Tangential Remark Chapter 7. Plus or Minus Chapter 8. Making the Optimal Choice Chapter 9. Impossibilities Chapter 10. Magnitudes of Infinity Chapter 11. The Inevitable (Sperner's Lemma-The Brouwer Fixed-Point Theorem) Chapter 12. Consider the Sequence (Fibonacci and Golden Ratio) Chapter 13. What Are the Chances? Chapter 14. The Euler Line Chapter 15. The Dissertation. Chapter 16. The Next Prime Number Is? (Gandhi's Formula)Chapter 17. Bulgarian Solitaire Chapter 18. Which is Bigger? (^{ } versus ^{ }) Chapter 19. Fascinating Chapter 20. From the Sublime to the Ridiculous Chapter 21. A Few More Words Photos and Pictures Appendix A. Notation, etc. Appendix B. Mysterious Appendix C. Impossibilities Appendix D. Magnitudes Appendix E. Fascinating Back Cover.