Re: Mathematics - the way to learn

From: José Carlos Santos (jcsantos_at_fc.up.pt)
Date: 02/15/05 

Date: Tue, 15 Feb 2005 09:35:05 +0000

On 14-02-2005 19:50, Stephen J. Herschkorn wrote:

>> I suggest "What Is Mathematics?: An Elementary Approach to Ideas and
>> Methods", by Richard Courant and Herbert Robbins, "The Book of Numbers",
>> by John H. Conway and Richard K. Guy and "Geometry and the Imagination"
>> by David Hilbert and Stefan Cohn-Vossen.
>
> José and others, have you ever read _Geometry and the Imagination_?

No. I have opened it up and read some passages from time to time. I know
"What is Mathematics" a bit better than that and I've read "The book of
numbers" from cover to cover. The reason that made me include Hilbert's
book on my list was its fame (and Hilbert's fame). I should have done
my homework before posting my list. :-(

> Since it is always touted as a wonderful book, I bought myself a copy
> and started to read it. I must confess that I got lost (and I am no
> mathematical slouch) within the first few pages. I don't really have
> the time right now to note specifically where I get lost. I think ther
> are implicit assumptions about the reader's knowledge which I don't
> have. Or a certain style of expostion which is no longer in fashion, or
> at least very different from the way math texts are written. (For the
> latter reason, I cannot understand Alexandroff's _Elementary Concepts of
> Topology_, either.)

You are aware, I suppose, of the fact that it was originally meant to be
an appendix to "Geometry and the Imagination".

Best regards,

Jose Carlos Santos

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