Exploring Mathematics with your Computer (Anneli Lax New Mathematical Library) [Paperback]

Arthur Engel (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0883856360 | ISBN-13: 978-0883856369 | Publication Date: August 14, 1997 | Edition: Pap/Dskt

This is a mathematics book, not a programming book, although it explains Pascal to beginners. It is aimed at high school students and undergraduates with a strong interest in mathematics, and teachers looking for fresh ideas. It is full of diverse mathematical ideas requiring little background. It includes a large number of challenging problems, many of which illustrate how numerical computation leads to conjectures which can then be proved by mathematical reasoning. It is assumed that readers have a PC at their disposal.

Editorial Reviews

Book Description

For high school students and undergraduates with a strong interest in mathematics, and teachers looking for fresh ideas, this book is full of diverse mathematical ideas requiring little background. It includes a large number of challenging problems, many of which illustrate how numerical computation leads to conjectures which can then be proved by mathematical reasoning.

Product Details

• Paperback: 311 pages
• Publisher: The Mathematical Association of America; Pap/Dskt edition (August 14, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0883856360
• ISBN-13: 978-0883856369
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,176,305 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book when published, now very much out of date, July 31, 2006

By 

Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Exploring Mathematics with your Computer (Anneli Lax New Mathematical Library) (Paperback)

When this book was published in 1993, it was a great book, suitable for use in many different math classes. Engel uses programs written in the language Pascal to solve many different math problems to the extent that Pascal could handle them. At that time, the size of integers was rather limited, so solutions could be found only as long as they were small. The problems and solutions are split into the following categories:

a) Number theory.
*) Probability
*) Statistics
*) Combinatorial algorithms
*) Numerical algorithms

There is also a section of miscellaneous problems. Each problem is explained in detail and there is a functioning Pascal program that will identify any solutions.
Time and the several swimlanes of advancement in technology have rendered this book obsolete. Pascal is no longer the primary language of computer science instruction and the limits on the size of integers are now almost laughable. The power of symbolic mathematics packages such as Mathematica has rendered the writing of a program in any other way an act of foolishness. With their ability to store numbers almost unlimited in size and the ease and simplicity of writing programs inside them, symbolic mathematics packages give you almost unlimited power to perform mathematical tests. The associated ease and quality of display render the simple dot diagrams in this book almost useless.
A significant achievement in its time, this book is now largely of historical interest. Engel was a trailblazer with an axe and a shovel, only now even the programming novice can use bulldozers and chainsaws.