The Mending of Broken Bones: A Modern Guide to Classical Algebra

Paul Lockhart

ISBN 10: 067429632X / ISBN 13: 9780674296329

Editore: Harvard University Press, 2025

Riguardo questo articolo

Paul Lockhart, Harvard University Press. A joyful and intimate celebration of the beauty and creativity of algebra from one of the foremost math educators of our time. For many of us, algebra conjures up memories of dull classes spent wondering when we'd ever have to solve a system of equations or factor a polynomial. Indeed, most of the time, if we need to plan a budget or figure out how early to leave the house for work, common sense or a quick, seat-of-the-pants approximation is good enough. But as mathematician Paul Lockhart argues in The Mending of Broken Bones, once we stop thinking of algebra in terms of its practical applications, we can appreciate it for the beautiful and gratifying subject that it is. In his hands, algebra is the delicate craft of untangling numerical puzzles to reveal the hidden patterns and often surprising behaviors of the numbers themselves. As Lockhart traverses numerical systems, slips into and out of higher-dimensional space, and delights in the intimate connections between algebra and geometry, we come to see the discipline from his viewpoint: not as the mundane exercises of our school years, but instead as an art form whose beauty lies in its elegant simplicity. Written in Lockhart's charming and conversational prose, The Mending of Broken Bones is an impassioned and deeply personal celebration of algebra that helps us experience the profound joys of mathematical discovery.

Codice articolo 9780674296329-RETAIL

Dati bibliografici

• Titolo: The Mending of Broken Bones: A Modern Guide to Classical Algebra
• Editore: Harvard University Press
• Data di pubblicazione: 2025
• Lingua: Inglese
• ISBN 10: 067429632X
• ISBN 13: 9780674296329
• Rilegatura: Hardback
• Peso: 783 grammi
• Tipo di libro: Hardback

Descrizione articolo

Riassunto

A joyful and intimate celebration of the beauty and creativity of algebra from one of the foremost math educators of our time.

For many of us, algebra conjures up memories of dull classes spent wondering when we’d ever have to solve a system of equations or factor a polynomial. Indeed, most of the time, if we need to plan a budget or figure out how early to leave the house for work, common sense or a quick, seat-of-the-pants approximation is good enough.

But as mathematician Paul Lockhart argues in The Mending of Broken Bones, once we stop thinking of algebra in terms of its practical applications, we can appreciate it for the beautiful and gratifying subject that it is. In his hands, algebra is the delicate craft of untangling numerical puzzles to reveal the hidden patterns and often surprising behaviors of the numbers themselves. As Lockhart traverses numerical systems, slips into and out of higher-dimensional space, and delights in the intimate connections between algebra and geometry, we come to see the discipline from his viewpoint: not as the mundane exercises of our school years, but instead as an art form whose beauty lies in its elegant simplicity.

Written in Lockhart’s charming and conversational prose, The Mending of Broken Bones is an impassioned and deeply personal celebration of algebra that helps us experience the profound joys of mathematical discovery.