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Richard Courant

Ian Stewart

What Is Mathematics? An Elementary Approach to Ideas and Methods

by Richard Courant (Author), Herbert Robbins (Author), Ian Stewart (Editor) Format: Paperback

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For more than two thousand years a familiarity with mathematics has been regarded as an indispensable part of the intellectual equipment of every cultured person. Today, unfortunately, the traditional place of mathematics in education is in grave danger. The teaching and learning of mathematics has degenerated into the realm of rote memorization, the outcome of which leads to satisfactory formal ability but does not lead to real understanding or to greater intellectual independence. This new edition of Richard Courant's and Herbert Robbins's classic work seeks to address this problem. Its goal is to put the meaning back into mathematics.

Written for beginners and scholars, for students and teachers, for philosophers and engineers, What is Mathematics?, Second Edition is a sparkling collection of mathematical gems that offers an entertaining and accessible portrait of the mathematical world. Covering everything from natural numbers and the number system to geometrical constructions and projective geometry, from topology and calculus to matters of principle and the Continuum Hypothesis, this fascinating survey allows readers to delve into mathematics as an organic whole rather than an empty drill in problem solving. With chapters largely independent of one another and sections that lead upward from basic to more advanced discussions, readers can easily pick and choose areas of particular interest without impairing their understanding of subsequent parts.

Brought up to date with a new chapter by Ian Stewart, What is Mathematics?, Second Edition offers new insights into recent mathematical developments and describes proofs of the Four-Color Theorem and Fermat's Last Theorem, problems that were still open when Courant and Robbins wrote this masterpiece, but ones that have since been solved.

Formal mathematics is like spelling and grammar--a matter of the correct application of local rules. Meaningful mathematics is like journalism--it tells an interesting story. But unlike some journalism, the story has to be true. The best mathematics is like literature--it brings a story to life before your eyes and involves you in it, intellectually and emotionally. What is Mathematics is like a fine piece of literature--it opens a window onto the world of mathematics for anyone interested to view.

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ISBN-10

0195105192
ISBN-13

978-0195105193
Edition

2nd
Publisher

Oxford University Press
Publication date

July 18, 1996
Language

English
Dimensions

9.02 x 6.05 x 1.06 inches
Print length

592 pages

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

A 1996 revision of a timeless classic originally published in 1941. Highly recommended for any serious student, teacher or scholar of mathematics.

Review

*Praise for the previous edition:

"Without doubt, the work will have great influence. It should be in the hands of everyone, professional or otherwise, who is interested in scientific thinking."--The New York Times

"Should prove a source of great pleasure and satisfaction."--Journal of Applied Physics

"Succeeds brilliantly in conveying the intellectual excitement of mathematical inquiry and in communicating the essential ideas and methods."Journal of Philosophy

"It is a work of high perfection, whether judged by aesthetic, pedagogical or scientific standards. It is astonishing to what extent What is Mathematics? has succeeded in making clear by means of the simplest examples all the fundamental ideas and methods which we mathematicians consider the life blood of our science."--Herman Weyl

Review

"Lucid...[and] easily understandable."--Albert Einstein

Review

*Praise for the previous edition:

"Without doubt, the work will have great influence. It should be in the hands of everyone, professional or otherwise, who is interested in scientific thinking."--The New York Times

"Should prove a source of great pleasure and satisfaction."--Journal of Applied Physics

"Succeeds brilliantly in conveying the intellectual excitement of mathematical inquiry and in communicating the essential ideas and methods."Journal of Philosophy

Book Description

"Lucid...[and] easily understandable."--Albert Einstein

From the Publisher

The late Richard Courant, headed the Department of Mathematics at New York University and was Director of the Institute of Mathematical Sciences--which has subsequently renamed the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences. His book Mathematical Physics is familiar to every physicist, and his book Differential and Integral Calculus is acknowledged to be one of the best presentations of the subject written in modern times. Herbert Robbins is New Jersey Professor of Mathematical Statistics at Rutgers University. Ian Stewart is Professor of Mathematics at the University of Warwick, and author of Nature's Numbers and Does God Play Dice?. He also writes the "Mathematical Recreations" column in Scientific American.

From the Back Cover

Written for beginners and scholars, for students and teachers, for philosophers and engineers, What is Mathematics? is a sparkling collection of mathematical gems that offers an entertaining and accessible portrait of the mathematical world. Brought up to date with a new chapter by Ian Stewart, this second edition offers new insights into recent mathematical developments and describes proofs of the Four-Color Theorem and Fermat's Last Theorem, problems that were still open when Courant and Robbins wrote this masterpiece, but ones that have since been solved.

About the Author

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press
Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 18, 1996
Edition ‏ : ‎ 2nd
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 592 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0195105192
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0195105193
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.8 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.02 x 6.05 x 1.06 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #341,025 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #126 in Mathematics History
- #1,268 in Mathematics (Books)
Customer Reviews:
(574)

About the authors

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Richard Courant
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Ian Stewart
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Ian Stewart
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Ian Stewart FRS is Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at the University of
Warwick and a leading popularizer of mathematics. He is author or coauthor of
over 200 research papers on pattern formation, chaos, network dynamics, and
biomathematics. He has been a Fellow of the Royal Society since 2001, and has
served on Council, its governing body. He has five honorary doctorates.
He has published more than 120 books including Why Beauty is Truth, Professor
Stewart's Cabinet of Mathematical Curiosities, Calculating the Cosmos,
Significant Figures, and the four-volume series The Science of Discworld with
Terry Pratchett and Jack Cohen. He has also written the science fiction novels
Wheelers and Heaven with Jack Cohen, and The Living Labyrinth and Rock Star with
Tim Poston.
He wrote the Mathematical Recreations column for Scientific American from 1990
to 2001. He has made 90 television appearances and 450 radio broadcasts, most of
them about mathematics for the general public, and has delivered hundreds of
public lectures on mathematics.
His awards include the Royal Society’s Faraday Medal, the Gold Medal of the
Institute of Mathematics and Its Applications, the Zeeman Medal (IMA and London
Mathematical Society), the Lewis Thomas Prize (Rockefeller University), and the
Euler Book Prize (Mathematical Association of America).
See more on the author's page

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Customer reviews

574 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this mathematics book to be an excellent classic that provides an easily understandable overview of the entire field of mathematics. The readability receives mixed feedback, with some finding it an easy read while others find it difficult to follow. The image quality also gets mixed reviews, with several customers noting low-quality images.

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49 customers mention content, 46 positive, 3 negative

Customers praise the book's content, describing it as an excellent classic that is better than reading novels.

...Five stars, easy.Read more

Great book for a High School student who is interested in Mathematics. I enjoyed it as an adult and gifted two copies to High School students....Read more

good book. Like newRead more

Is a very good book, some things could be better explained but is pretty good, lacks in spanish translation :...Read more

34 customers mention informative, 27 positive, 7 negative

Customers find the book highly informative, providing an easily understandable overview of the entire field of mathematics and helping to illuminate various mathematical fields.

This is a great overview of many key areas of modern mathematics. The book is wonderful because it's not a typical "For Dummies" book....Read more

Very informative. I like this book.Read more

...dated, the contents are not: it is just the right mix of history, proofs, method and explanation that is missing between simple school books and...Read more

...in some areas it is alittle bit advanced for me. The aurhur was explaining base 7. I was having a little bit of trouble following along....Read more

12 customers mention readability, 6 positive, 6 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the book's readability, with some finding it an easy read while others find it difficult to follow.

...It is also an easy read and I love how it contains exercises throughout the reading....Read more

...and the smaller size type kind of blots together which makes it difficult to read....Read more

If you love mathematics, you will love this book. It is simple to read and gives hundreds of clear examples on solving mathematical problems and...Read more

...Despite a pretty good math background, this book was difficult to follow because the author makes numerous leaps between steps in mathematical...Read more

6 customers mention image quality, 2 positive, 4 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the images in the book, with some reporting low-quality images and blurred illustrations.

...I’m very disappointed in the fact that almost all of the illustrations are blurred and the print quality looks like it came from the Xerox machine...Read more

...Books by Courant have great clarity. I even like his calculus books. This is not a casual read.Read more

It is a shame that this edition is low-quality photo-copy of previous edition on low-quality papers with low-quality binding....Read more

...is awesome for the amount of knowledge you get in this book, the print quality is not....Read more

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