Framing Global Mathematics

This open access book is about the shaping of international relations in mathematics over the last two hundred years. It focusses on institutions and organizations that were created to frame the international dimension of mathematical research. Today, striking evidence of globalized mathematics is provided by countless international meetings and the worldwide repository ArXiv. The text follows the sinuous path that was taken to reach this state, from the long nineteenth century, through the two wars, to the present day. International cooperation in mathematics was well established by 1900, centered in Europe. The first International Mathematical Union, IMU, founded in 1920 and disbanded in 1932, reflected above all the trauma of WW I. Since 1950 the current IMU has played an increasing role in defining mathematical excellence, as is shown both in the historical narrative and by analyzing data about the International Congresses of Mathematicians. For each of the three periods discussed, interactions are explored between world politics, the advancement of scientific infrastructures, and the inner evolution of mathematics. Readers will thus take a new look at the place of mathematics in world culture, and how international organizations can make a difference. Aimed at mathematicians, historians of science, scientists, and the scientifically inclined general public, the book will be valuable to anyone interested in the history of science on an international level.

A celebration of the state of mathematics at the end of the millennium. Produced under the auspices of the International Mathematical Union (IMU), the book was born as part of the activities of World Mathematical Year 2000. It consists of 28 articles written by influential mathematicians.

The history of mathematics education is an interdisciplinary research area that is experiencing a significant development and this book presents recent work in this area. This book is the result of the seventh conference ICHME (International Conference on the History of Mathematics Education) that took place at Erbacher Hof, Mainz (Germany) from 19th to 23rd of September 2022. Nowadays, the history of education is of the utmost importance for assessing the general development of the educational system(s) in which mathematics education occurs. Usually, the history of education is confined to history within a given civilization, country or nation. However, the quality of the research for a given nation is enhanced when situated among various specific cases, and comparative studies provide essential tools to broaden the perspectives to an international level. Moreover, mathematics, as a school discipline, has always functioned at the crossroads between general education and professional training, thus relating its teaching history to professional working environments as well. The 24 chapters in this book reflect this wide area of research.

Summarizes six international studies of math and science over the past 25 years, describing each study and its primary results. Also draws together critical and heretofore inaccessible documentation that are required to evaluate the quality of the surveys, including studies of Japanese students. Over 75 charts and tables.

The power that analysis, topology and algebra bring to geometry has revolutionised the way geometers and physicists look at conceptual problems. Some of the key ingredients in this interplay are sheaves, cohomology, Lie groups, connections and differential operators. In Global Calculus, the appropriate formalism for these topics is laid out with numerous examples and applications by one of the experts in differential and algebraic geometry. Ramanan has chosen an uncommon but natural path through the subject. In this almost completely self-contained account, these topics are developed from scratch. The basics of Fourier transforms, Sobolev theory and interior regularity are proved at the same time as symbol calculus, culminating in beautiful results in global analysis, real and complex. Many new perspectives on traditional and modern questions of differential analysis and geometry are the hallmarks of the book. The book is suitable for a first year graduate course on Global Analysis.

This vividly illustrated history of the International Congress of Mathematicians — a meeting of mathematicians from around the world held roughly every four years — acts as a visual history of the 25 congresses held between 1897 and 2006, as well as a story of changes in the culture of mathematics over the past century. Because the congress is an international meeting, looking at its history allows us a glimpse into the effect of wars and strained relations between nations on the scientific community.

What comes first, class management or student engagement? How can the ‘real world’ be used to engage learners? What is the role of technology in engaging students? And is ‘understanding’ or ‘exam success’ more engaging? In the modern world, success in school mathematics can determine life chances. It is therefore vital to engage children and young people in learning mathematics. Engaging in Mathematics in the Classroom brings together the debates concerning mathematical engagement and draws on first-hand experience and key research to promote successful classroom practice. It considers what engagement looks like at different ages and the implications of this for the classroom. Accessibly written with examples of successful classroom practice, activities and projects, the book covers: Planning and managing engagement in learning; Mathematical understandings and meanings; Early Primary and the number system; Primary/Secondary Transition and geometrical thinking; Secondary school: Adolescence and algebraic activity; Post-16 and infinity; Learning across the lifespan. Written by a leading authority in the field, this timely text will be essential reading for all trainee and practising teachers of mathematics.