Algebra the Beautiful
An Ode to Math's Least-Loved Subject
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- $24.99
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- $24.99
Publisher Description
A mathematician reveals the hidden beauty, power, and—yes—fun of algebra
What comes to mind when you think about algebra? For many of us, it’s memories of dull or frustrating classes in high school. Award-winning mathematics professor G. Arnell Williams is here to change that. Algebra the Beautiful is a journey into the heart of fundamental math that proves just how amazing this subject really is.
Drawing on lessons from twenty-five years of teaching mathematics, Williams blends metaphor, history, and storytelling to uncover algebra’s hidden grandeur. Whether you’re a teacher looking to make math come alive for your students, a parent hoping to get your children engaged, a student trying to come to terms with a sometimes bewildering subject, or just a lover of mathematics, this book has something for you. With a passion that’s contagious, G. Arnell Williams shows how each of us can grasp the beauty and harmony of algebra.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Math professor Williams (How Math Works) successfully makes his case that algebra is "big, varied, dramatic, and relevant" in this shrewd attempt to win over math-averse readers. Using what he terms humanistic, aesthetic, and conceptual approaches, he relates the field to "other great areas of human activity, expression, and ambition." Algebraic equations, for example, involve "linking together conceptually similar entities," akin to using analogies and metaphors, while variations in music, like in algebra, can be transcribed on paper in the form of musical notations, which leads to a discussion of mathematical symbols and, in turn, to the relationship between stable and variable values. Those variables, Williams suggests, occur in automobiles, spoken languages, and nations. For those willing to get into the weeds, an appendix offers word problems that put the theory into practice, such as "an unknown number added to ten more than fifteen times itself gives one hundred six. Find the number." Williams can get revel a bit too much in the nitty-gritty, but his passion is worth sticking around for. Readers willing to stay the course will find plenty of insight.
