Customer Reviews

Mathematical Circles Revisited & Mathematical Circles Squared (Mathematical Association of America)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This collection of brief anecdotes about math and the people that have done it is one of the easiest to read and most revealing items that you can read about mathematics. Most of the short points are about the people that have done math, their quirks, achievements and sometimes failures. Some of them are classics, for example the "absent-minded professor" stories about Norbert Wiener have all appeared in many other locations and he appears to have been the original model.
There are also many quotes of how people that did mathematics felt about it. One of the most heart-warming stories is about the little girl that suddenly starts doing better in her math. When her teacher asked her about it she said that "there is a nice old gentleman on Mercer Street who is helping me." That man turned out to be Albert Einstein and when the girl's mother asked him, "Why do you spend your time helping my little girl? What do you get out of it?" he responded by saying "But I do get something out of it. Every time I help her she gives me a lollipop." The idea of the man with such great ideas helping a young girl with her basic math homework is one of the most pleasant thoughts one can have.
There have been several books published about mathematical people; this one depicts them as a bit unusual but much more kind and considerate than the non-mathematical public believes.