The Best Writing on Mathematics 2014

by Mircea Pitici (editor)

This annual anthology brings together the year's finest mathematics writing from around the world. Featuring promising new voices alongside some of the foremost names in the field, The Best Writing on Mathematics 2014 makes available to a wide audience many articles not easily found anywhere else--and you don't need to be a mathematician to enjoy them. These writings offer surprising insights into the nature, meaning, and practice of mathematics today. They delve into the history, philosophy, teaching, and everyday occurrences of math, and take readers behind the scenes of today's hottest mathematical debates. Here John Conway presents examples of arithmetical statements that are almost certainly true but likely unprovable; Carlo Sequin explores, compares, and illustrates distinct types of one-sided surfaces known as Klein bottles; Keith Devlin asks what makes a video game good for learning mathematics and shows why many games fall short of that goal; Jordan Ellenberg reports on a recent breakthrough in the study of prime numbers; Stephen Pollard argues that mathematical practice, thinking, and experience transcend the utilitarian value of mathematics; and much, much more.

In addition to presenting the year's most memorable writings on mathematics, this must-have anthology includes an introduction by editor Mircea Pitici. This book belongs on the shelf of anyone interested in where math has taken us--and where it is headed.

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Genres: Mathematics, Nonfiction

360 pages, Paperback

First published November 21, 2014

Reviews

[Mark Moon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely not one of my favorites in this series so far, but still plenty of interesting stuff.

Highlights:

"Generic Proving: Reflections on Scope and Method" by Uri Leron and Orit Zaslavsky

"Stuck in the Middle: Cauchy’s Intermediate Value Theorem and the History of Analytic Rigor" by Michael J. Barany

"The Beauty of Bounded Gaps" by Jordan Ellenberg

[A YOGAM · Rating 4 out of 5]

Auch im Jahrgang 2014 finden sich Beiträge von besonderer Relevanz. Eine ausführlichere Einführung zum Ausgangspunkt dieser Reihe findet sich hier:
 The Best Writing on Mathematics 2010
Die Auswahl versteht sich daher nicht als vollständige Würdigung der einzelnen Bände, sondern als persönliche Schneise durch eine Fülle von Texten, die insgesamt weit umfangreicher ist, als eine kurze Besprechung angemessen abbilden könnte.
Jahrgang 2014 - Datenmacht und Lebensglück: Hervorstechende Publikationen
* „The Rise of Big Data: How It’s Changing the Way We Think about the World“ von Kenneth Cukier und Viktor Mayer-Schönberger. Dieser Essay ist ein Meilenstein: Er beschreibt den Übergang von der Suche nach Kausalität (Warum?) zur bloßen Korrelation (Was?). Dies verändert unser Verständnis von Wissen fundamental.
* „Mathematics and the Good Life“ von Stephen Pollard. Pollard fragt, ob mathematisches Denken zu einem gelingenden Leben beiträgt. Er schlägt eine Brücke von der Logik zur Ethik – ein direkter Link zu Robert Audis Architektur der Vernunft.
* Sarah-Marie Belcastro – „Adventures in Mathematical Knitting“: Die Autorin zeigt, wie man durch Stricken (mathematische Visualisierungs- und Modellierungstechnik) topologische Objekte wie die Klein’sche Flasche begreifbar macht und welche mathematische Treue (mathematical fidelity) dabei nötig ist.

[Peter Flom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of articles that involve mathematics that were published in non-mathematics journals. As with any edited collection, I liked some much more than others. Recommended for math lovers

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another good mix, broadening my horizons.