Revised & Expanded May 2023. First published November 1998.
This article provides a selection of quotes, written mostly by mathematicians, that convey especially clearly essential aspects of mathematics and its culture. Comments are collected in the endnotes.
Contents
1. The Essence of Mathematics
2. The ‘Why’ of Mathematics
3. The ‘How’ of Mathematics
4. Tension in the Teaching and Learning of Mathematics
5. Doing Mathematics
6. Motivating the Required Effort
7. People in Mathematics
8. The Place of Anthropology and Historiography
9. Mathematical Humour