Mathematics and the Aesthetic
New Approaches to an Ancient Affinity
Editors: Sinclair, Nathalie, Higginson, William (Eds.)
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- About this book
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The essays in this book explore the ancient affinity between the mathematical and the aesthetic, focusing on the fundamental connections between these two modes of reasoning and communicating. From historical, philosophical and psychological perspectives, with particular attention to certain mathematical areas such as geometry and analysis, the authors examine the ways in which the aesthetic is ever present in mathematical thinking and contributes to the growth and value of mathematical knowledge.
This book includes the following essays:
• A Historical Gaze at the Mathematical Aesthetic, by Nathalie Sinclair and David Pimm
• Aesthetics for the Working Mathematician, by Jonathan M. Borwein
• Beauty and Truth in Mathematics, by Doris Schattschneider
• Experiencing Meanings in Geometry, by David W. Henderson and Daina Taimina
• The Aesthetic Sensibilities of Mathematicians, by Nathalie Sinclair
• The Meaning of Pattern, by Martin Schiralli
• Mathematics, Aesthetics and Being Human, by William Higginson
• Mechanism and Magic in the Psychology of Dynamic Geometry, by R. Nicholas Jackiw
• Drawing on the Image in Mathematics and Art, by David Pimm
• Sensible Objects, by Dick Tahta
• Aesthetics and the ‘Mathematical Mind’, by David Pimm and Nathalie Sinclair
- Reviews
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From the reviews:
"The essays in this book represent diverse reflections on attempts to ground the aesthetics that operate within mathematical practice and to account for their origins. … Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates; faculty." (D. V. Feldman, CHOICE, Vol. 44 (11), July, 2007)
“Mathematics and the Aesthetic is a heavy book. I mean this in the literal sense: at 288 pages, it weighs 721 grams. … high-quality paper is matched by a sense of attention to detail throughout. The color pictures are … well presented; the text is easy to read. … Enter Sinclair, Pimm, and Higginson. … assembled a group of scholars with diverse academic credentials: philosophers, math educators, and (yes) research mathematicians. … Mathematics and the Aesthetic is a thoughtful collection of essays … .” (Annalisa Crannell, Notices of the AMS, Vol. 56 (2), February, 2010)
- Table of contents (11 chapters)
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A Historical Gaze at the Mathematical Aesthetic
Pages 1-17
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Aesthetics for the Working Mathematician
Pages 21-40
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Beauty and Truth in Mathematics
Pages 41-57
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Experiencing Meanings in Geometry
Pages 58-83
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The Aesthetic Sensibilities of Mathematicians
Pages 87-104
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Table of contents (11 chapters)
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Bibliographic Information
- Bibliographic Information
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- Book Title
- Mathematics and the Aesthetic
- Book Subtitle
- New Approaches to an Ancient Affinity
- Editors
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- Nathalie Sinclair
- William Higginson
- Series Title
- CMS Books in Mathematics
- Copyright
- 2007
- Publisher
- Springer-Verlag New York
- Copyright Holder
- Springer-Verlag New York
- eBook ISBN
- 978-0-387-38145-9
- DOI
- 10.1007/978-0-387-38145-9
- Hardcover ISBN
- 978-0-387-30526-4
- Softcover ISBN
- 978-1-4419-2144-4
- Series ISSN
- 1613-5237
- Edition Number
- 1
- Number of Pages
- XVI, 288
- Number of Illustrations
- 65 b/w illustrations, 13 illustrations in colour
- Topics