Math3ma
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Math3ma
In June 1983, Alexander Grothendieck sits down to write the preface to a mathematical manuscript called Pursuing Stacks . He is concerned by what he sees as a tacit disdain for the more “feminine side” of mathematics (which is related to what I’m calling the solitary creative state) in favor of the “hammer and chisel” of the finished theorem. By el... See more
Cultivating a State of Mind Where New Ideas Are Born
The secret techniques of mathematicians aim to facilitate and accelerate this intuitive understanding. Mathematicians use logic and language as an apparatus for learning to see.
David Bessis • Mathematica
The key in maths, and with maps, is to find the most appropriate level of abstraction for the given moment.
Eugenia Cheng • How to Bake Pi
Learning to write math is learning to have clear ideas. Wouldn’t it be a shame to deprive yourself of that? By writing math yourself, you’ll get to understand why it is written in such a bizarre formalism, in this language made for robots: there’s really no other choice. To demonstrate, we’ll return to another of our favorite examples: the concept
... See moreDavid Bessis • Mathematica
It is beautifully expressed in these striking lines written by Thurston in 2011: “Mathematics is commonly thought to be the pursuit of universal truths, of patterns that are not anchored to any single fixed context. But on a deeper level the goal of mathematics is to develop enhanced ways for humans to see and think about the world. Mathematics is
... See moreDavid Bessis • Mathematica
In the introduction to his “Kill Math” project — actually a quite benign, if broadly ambitious, attempt to reimagine mathematical notation in more intuitive and visual terms — Victor declares that “the power to understand and predict the quantities of the world should not be restricted to those with a freakish knack for manipulating abstract symbol... See more