Original Sources and the Lessons of History

Document Type

Article

Department or Administrative Unit

Mathematics

Publication Date

Spring 2017

Abstract

History and mathematics don’t have a strong relationship in the minds of most of the public. Mathematics, so often presented as a set of rules and facts, doesn’t seem to lend itself to the same sorts of excitement, confusion, and triumph that we associate with the development of modern physics, or the theory of evolution. This is a shame, because the history of mathe- matics is a fascinating field — as full of drama and conflict as the best epic novels or films. More importantly, studying the history of mathematics can tell us a great deal about the nature of mathematics, and can play a crucial role in helping students to learn and understand difficult material.

Comments

This article was originally published in Consortium. The full-text article from the publisher can be found here.

Due to copyright restrictions, this article is not available for free download from ScholarWorks @ CWU.

Journal

Consortium

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