Prelude to Mathematics

Posted on 21 November 2017 by W.W. Sawyer

No mathematician can be a complete mathematician unless he is also something of a poet K WeierstrassIn this lively and stimulating account, noted mathematician and educator W W Sawyer Professor Emeritus, University of Toronto defines mathematics as the classification and study of all possible patterns It is a broad definition, but one that seems appropriate to the great scope and depth of the topic Indeed, mathematics seems to have few boundaries, either in applications to practical matters or in its mind stretching excursions into realms of pure abstraction.Gearing his approach to the layman whose grasp of things mathematical may be a bit precarious, Professor Sawyer offers a lucid, accessible introduction to the mathematician s cast of mind Five well written preliminary chapters explore the beauty, power and mysticism of mathematics the role of math as an adjunct in utilitarian matters and the concepts of pattern, generalization and unification as both tools and goals of mathematical thought.After developing this conceptual groundwork, the author goes on to treat of advanced topics non Euclidean geometry, matrices, projective geometry, determinants, transformations and group theory The emphasis here is not on mathematics with great practical utility, but on those branches which are exciting in themselves mathematics which offers the strange, the novel, the apparently impossible for example, an arithmetic in which no number is larger than four.Mathematicians will appreciate the author s grasp of a wide range of important mathematical topics, and his ability to illuminate the complex issues involved laymen, especially those with a minimal math background, will appreciate the accessibility of much of the book, which affords not only a portrait of mathematics as a matchless tool for probing the nature of the universe, but a revealing glimpse of that mysterious entity called the mathematical mind Professor Sawyer has further enhanced this new Dover edition with updated material on group theory, appearing here in English for the first time. New Read Prelude to Mathematics [ author ] W.W. Sawyer [ Kindle ePUB or eBook ] – kino-fada.fr The book is very stimulating, and if read carefully you will find that you evolve with it from chapter to chapter After completing the book, I was compelled to re read the first chapter On Beauty and Power Here Mr Sawyer states This book is about how to grow mathematicians He uses mathematics as a catalyst to show how the universe is constantly seeking balance the solution of one problem leads to another problem to be solved , and how we as citizens of the universe must remain open an The book is very stimulating, and if read carefully you will find that you evolve with it from chapter to chapter After completing the book, I was compelled to re read the first chapter On Beauty and Power Here Mr Sawyer states This book is about how to grow mathematicians He uses mathematics as a catalyst to show how the universe is constantly seeking balance the solution of one problem leads to another problem to be solved , and how we as citize...See my review of Mathematician s Delight Basically, anything written by W W Sawyer is pure gold, and worth reading.Highly recommended for anyone wanting to understand mathematical thinking processes and how math s can becomeuseful as it becomesabstract.This is a bird s eye view of modern mathematics It touches lightly on a wide variety of things, and is not rigorous I especially liked the explanation of determinants in linear algebra and the broader sense of how mathematicians think I felt cheated w...

English
21 November 2017

W.W. Sawyer