Mathematics & Common Sense
eBook - ePub

Mathematics & Common Sense

A Case of Creative Tension

  1. 250 pages
  2. English
  3. ePUB (mobile friendly)
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub

Mathematics & Common Sense

A Case of Creative Tension

About this book

From the Preface: This book is addressed to all who are curious about the nature of mathematics and its role in society. It is neither a text book nor a specialists' book. It consists of a number of loosely linked essays that may be read independently and for which I have tried to provide a leitmotif by throwing light on the relationship between mathematics and common sense. In these essays I hope to foster a critical attitude towards both the existence of common sense in mathematics and the ambiguous role that it can play.

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Yes, you can access Mathematics & Common Sense by Philip J. Davis in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Mathematics & Games in Mathematics. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Information

Publisher
A K Peters/CRC Press
Year
2006
eBook ISBN
9781040052754
Edition
1
Topic
Mathematics
Subtopic
Games in Mathematics
Index
Mathematics

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Half-Title Page
  3. Title Page
  4. Copyright Page
  5. Table of Contents
  6. Preface
  7. Acknowledgments
  8. Dedication
  9. Letters to Christina: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
  10. Letters to Christina: Second Round
  11. 1 What Is Mathematics?
  12. 2 Mathematics and Common Sense: Relations and Contrasts
  13. 3 How Common Sense Impacts Mathematical Reasoning: Some Very Simple Problems
  14. 4 Where Is Mathematical Knowledge Lodged, and Where Does It Come From?
  15. 5 What Is Mathematical Intuition?
  16. 6 Are People Hard Wired to Do Mathematics?
  17. 7 Why Counting Is Impossible
  18. 8 Quantification in Today’s World
  19. 9 When Should One Add Two Numbers?
  20. 10 Category Dilemmas
  21. 11 Deductive Mathematics
  22. 12 Mathematics Brings Forth Entities Whose Existence Is Counterintuitive
  23. 13 “In Principle We Can…”: Mathematical Existentialism
  24. 14 Mathematical Proof and Its Discontents
  25. 15 The Logic of Mathematics Can Spawn Monsters
  26. 16 Rules and Their Exceptions
  27. 17 If Mathematics Says “No” Does It Really Mean It?
  28. 18 Inconsistencies and Their Virtues
  29. 19 On Ambiguity in Mathematics
  30. 20 Mathematical Evidence: Why Do I Believe a Theorem?
  31. 21 Simplicity, Complexity, Beauty
  32. 22 The Decline and Resurgence of the Visual in Mathematics
  33. 23 When Is a Problem Solved?
  34. 24 What Is Meant by the Word “Random”?
  35. 25 The Paradox of “Hitting It Big”
  36. 26 Probability and Common Sense: A Second Look
  37. 27 Astrology as Early Applied Mathematics
  38. 28 Mumbo Math
  39. 29 Math Mixes It Up with Baseball
  40. 30 Mickey Flies the Stealth: Mathematics, War, and Entertainment
  41. 31 The Media and Mathematics Look at Each Other
  42. 32 Platonism vs. Social Constructivism
  43. 33 Mathematics at the Razor’s Edge