Mathematical Treks: from Surreal Numbers to Magic Circles. (Books: a selection of new and notable books of scientific interest).IVARS PETERSON Ivars Peterson is an award-winning mathematics writer. He is currently Director of Publications for Journals and Communications at the Mathematical Association of America. In February 1996, Peterson began writing about what he proclaimed pro·claim tr.v. pro·claimed, pro·claim·ing, pro·claims 1. To announce officially and publicly; declare. See Synonyms at announce. 2. as "cool stuff" for a new online column about mathematics. That column continues today as "Ivars Peterson's Math Trek" on the Science News Web site (http://www.sciencenews.org), which Peterson oversees as online editor. This book is an updated compilation of 33 columns, starting with "Calculation and the Chess Master Noun 1. chess master - a chess player of great skill chess player - someone who plays the game of chess ," including "Trouble with Wild-Card Poker," and ending with "Euclid's Fourteenth Book." Each column contains Peterson's often-personal ruminations on mathematics' incursions into everyday life. In "The Cow in the Classroom," for instance, he reveals the serious issues of geometry, algebra algebra, branch of mathematics concerned with operations on sets of numbers or other elements that are often represented by symbols. Algebra is a generalization of arithmetic and gains much of its power from dealing symbolically with elements and operations (such as , and other math realms that he's discovered in books that he's read to his children. Cool stuff, indeed. Each chapter includes an extensive bibliography on its topic. Math Assn, 2002, 170 p., b&w illus., paperback, $24.95. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] |
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