Mathematical Apocrypha Redux More Stories And Anecdotes Of Mathematicians And The Mathematical

A volume of anecdotes, stories, quips, and ruminations about mathematics and mathematicians.

A companion to Mathematical Apocrypha (published in 2002) this second volume of anecdotes, stories, quips, and ruminations about mathematics and mathematicians is sure to please. It differs from other books of its type in that many of the stories are from the twentieth century and many about currently living mathematicians. A number of the best stories come from the author's first-hand experience. The writing is lively, engaging, and informative. There are stories the reader may wish to share with students and colleagues, friends, and relatives. The purpose of the book is to explore and to celebrate the many facets of mathematical life. The stories reveal mathematicians as intense, human, and sympathetic. They should resonate with readers everywhere. This book will appeal to students from high school through graduate school, to faculty and mathematical scientists of all stripes, and also to physicists, engineer, and anyone interested in mathematics.

Mathematics is often thought of as the coldest expression of pure reason. But few subjects provoke hotter emotions--and inspire more love and hatred--than mathematics. And although math is frequently idealized as floating above the messiness of human life, its story is nothing if not human; often, it is all too human. Loving and Hating Mathematics is about the hidden human, emotional, and social forces that shape mathematics and affect the experiences of students and mathematicians. Written in a lively, accessible style, and filled with gripping stories and anecdotes, Loving and Hating Mathematics brings home the intense pleasures and pains of mathematical life. These stories challenge many myths, including the notions that mathematics is a solitary pursuit and a "young man's game," the belief that mathematicians are emotionally different from other people, and even the idea that to be a great mathematician it helps to be a little bit crazy. Reuben Hersh and Vera John-Steiner tell stories of lives in math from their very beginnings through old age, including accounts of teaching and mentoring, friendships and rivalries, love affairs and marriages, and the experiences of women and minorities in a field that has traditionally been unfriendly to both. Included here are also stories of people for whom mathematics has been an immense solace during times of crisis, war, and even imprisonment--as well as of those rare individuals driven to insanity and even murder by an obsession with math. This is a book for anyone who wants to understand why the most rational of human endeavors is at the same time one of the most emotional.

Modular Forms is a graduate student-level introduction to the classical theory of modular forms and computations involving modular forms, including modular functions and the theory of Hecke operators. It also includes applications of modular forms to various subjects, such as the theory of quadratic forms, the proof of Fermat's Last Theorem and the approximation of π. The text gives a balanced overview of both the theoretical and computational sides of its subject, allowing a variety of courses to be taught from it. This second edition has been revised and updated. New material on the future of modular forms as well as a chapter about longer-form projects for students has also been added.

Discover the latest edition of a practical introduction to the theory of probability, complete with R code samples In the newly revised Second Edition of Probability: With Applications and R, distinguished researchers Drs. Robert Dobrow and Amy Wagaman deliver a thorough introduction to the foundations of probability theory. The book includes a host of chapter exercises, examples in R with included code, and well-explained solutions. With new and improved discussions on reproducibility for random numbers and how to set seeds in R, and organizational changes, the new edition will be of use to anyone taking their first probability course within a mathematics, statistics, engineering, or data science program. New exercises and supplemental materials support more engagement with R, and include new code samples to accompany examples in a variety of chapters and sections that didn’t include them in the first edition. The new edition also includes for the first time: A thorough discussion of reproducibility in the context of generating random numbers Revised sections and exercises on conditioning, and a renewed description of specifying PMFs and PDFs Substantial organizational changes to improve the flow of the material Additional descriptions and supplemental examples to the bivariate sections to assist students with a limited understanding of calculus Perfect for upper-level undergraduate students in a first course on probability theory, Probability: With Applications and R is also ideal for researchers seeking to learn probability from the ground up or those self-studying probability for the purpose of taking advanced coursework or preparing for actuarial exams.

This book is a collection of fourteen essays that describe an inspiring journey through the universe and discusses popular science topics that modern physics and cosmology are struggling to deal with. What is our place in the universe and what happens in the magnificent cosmos where we exist for a brief amount of time. In an unique way that incorporates mythological and philosophical perspectives, the essays in this work address the big questions of what the universe is, how it came into being, and where it may be heading. This exciting adventure is a rich scientific history of elegant physics, mathematics, and cosmology as well as a philosophical and spiritual pursuit fueled by the human imagination.

How Learning Happens introduces 32 giants of educational research and their findings on how we learn and what we need to know to learn effectively, efficiently, and enjoyably. Many of these works have inspired researchers and teachers all around the world and have left a mark on how we teach today. Now updated to include a new section on Memory and Cognition with five new chapters, this revised second edition explores a selection of the key works on learning and teaching, chosen from the fields of educational psychology and cognitive psychology. It offers a roadmap of the most important discoveries in the way learning happens, with each chapter examining a different work and explaining its significance before describing the research, its implications for practice, and how it can be used in the classroom – including the key takeaways for teachers. Clearly divided into seven sections, the book covers: Memory and cognition How the brain works Prerequisites for learning How learning can be supported Teacher activities Learning in context Cautionary tales Written by two leading experts and illustrated by Oliver Caviglioli, this is essential reading for teachers wanting to fully engage with and understand educational research as well as undergraduate students in the fields of education, educational psychology, and the learning sciences.