X Marks the Spot

Rezensionen / Stimmen

"Few mathematics books succeed as well as this one in creating a feeling that the author is engaged in discussion with readers. The Garfinkles' focus on "the human heritage of mathematical thinking" offers enrichment, going beyond mere theoretical abstraction. The authors start from basic counting and arithmetic; continue through algebra and geometry; and lead readers to statistics, calculus, topology, and more. This approach is refreshing and should provide readers with insights into how various aspects of mathematics developed. A broad spectrum of expressions and equations appear throughout the text, but the emphasis is not on symbolic manipulation and algorithms. Rather, readers are encouraged to think deeply about the richness that today's mathematics has inherited from the past. The final chapter on education calls for teachers to broaden their traditional classroom approach by incorporating this sense of mathematical heritage. The authors argue persuasively that students retain more from meaningful learning experiences than from temporary memorization, benefit more from a lesson built around interrelated concepts than from a piecemeal presentation of scattered ideas, and succeed by building on past learning rather than mimicking an ever-growing series of unmotivated procedures and tricks. This text demonstrates the value of exploring what originally motivated mathematical ideas, in preference to blindly performing processes."
-Choice

"Deftly organized into three major sections (The Roots of Mathematics; Theory in Practice; Toolkit of the Theoretical Universe), X Marks the Spot: The Lost Inheritance of Mathematics is enhanced for academia and the reader with figures, an informative introduction (Why This Book?), and a seven page Index. An ideal textbook, X Marks the Spot: The Lost Inheritance of Mathematics is very highly recommended for college and university library Mathematics collections and supplemental studies curriculums."
-Midwest Book Review

"The Garfinkles' book is written in a light-hearted manner without sacrificing mathematical rigor. The authors begin by taking us on a journey of discovering the roots of mathematics and then delving into what is described as its three primary processes, which they playfully dub as abstraction, mistrust, and laziness.
[. . .] X Marks the Spot is a book for anyone who teaches mathematics at any level. This book will be helpful for any course, particularly in developing the introduction portion of a course. The professor or teacher who is looking for practical examples to help answer the eternal question of "When is this stuff ever used?" will find a multitude of examples to help answer such questions. And those interested in the history and philosophy of mathematics would find this a useful text and a welcome addition to their library. The book is well documented and contains over 200 drawings and illustrations within its over 450 pages."
-MAA Reviews