A Century of Mathematics: Through the Eyes of the Monthly (Spectrum) [Hardcover]

John Ewing (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 5, 1996 | Series: Spectrum

This is the story of American mathematics during the past century. It contains articles and excerpts from a century of the American Mathematical Monthly, giving the reader an opportunity to skim all one hundred volumes of this popular mathematics magazine without actually opening them. It samples mathematics year by year and decade by decade. The reader can glimpse the mathematical community at the turn of the century, the controversy about Einstein and relativity, the debates about formalism in logic, the immigration of mathematicians from Europe, and the frantic effort to organize as the war began. More recent articles deal with the advent of computers and the changes they brought, and with some of the triumphs of modern research.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'If you have any interest in how things in American mathematics have developed over the last one hundred years, pick up this book. Like members of a family, mathematicians have a heritage and roots to their ancestors, and it does us all good to honor them from time to time.' Journal of Recreational Mathematics

Book Description

This is the story of American mathematics during the past century. It contains articles and excerpts from a century of the American Mathematical Monthly, giving the reader an opportunity to skim all one hundred volumes of this popular mathematics magazine without actually opening them.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 335 pages
• Publisher: The Mathematical Association of America (September 5, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0883854570
• ISBN-13: 978-0883854570
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 6.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,407,567 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Read the ongoing historical record of mathematics, March 24, 2003

By 

Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: A Century of Mathematics: Through the Eyes of the Monthly (Spectrum) (Hardcover)

A common phrase used to describe the experience and qualifications of undergraduates is "mathematical maturity." Well, that phrase can be used to describe the theme of this collection of items from The American Mathematical Monthly. For mathematics has indeed matured in the United States in the last century and this work provides a series of documentary snapshots. A veritable army, this reviewer included, unites in criticizing the current poor state of mathematics education in the United States.
However, we forget that the United States was a mathematical backwater until large numbers of mathematicians immigrated from Europe in the interwar period. Also, first-year students are now routinely taught material that would have been beyond that of many instructors at the turn of the century. There was a strong movement by colleges to eliminate mathematics requirements in the 1920' s. And the extensive growth in the numbers of mathematics students was largely a direct consequence of World War II.
The obvious military benefits of technological superiority, largely imported from Europe to win the war, had a mathematical base. Furthermore, the GI Bill of Rights provided the money for thousands to attend college. And the growing conflict with the communist block helped fuel the technological fires, with extensive federal dollars made available for research. In mathematics, this led to a schism into the pure and applied factions that still exists today, although the continuous connections are more apparent than many will admit.
The editor does a good job in selecting pieces that reflect all of this, providing a good deal of evidence indicating that this is indeed the best of times. Like all other human endeavors, mathematics mimics the society that surrounds it, and many social movements are reflected in the material.
Like pi and e, some things stay constant. Instructors always question current teaching practices and complain about the poor quality of students. This is not a bad thing, for as long as these complaints are with us, mathematics will continue to thrive and advance.
If you have any interest in how things have developed over the last one hundred years, pick up this book. Like members of a family, mathematicians have a heritage and roots to their ancestors, and it does us all good to honor them from time to time.

Published in Journal of Recreational Mathematics, reprinted with permission.