The Submerged Portion

by beatvibe

Posted to What Are You Reading? on 2003-07-18 09:54:00

Parent message is 486972

My contention with the English analogy is that if the “literary” aspects of mathematics were incorporated into the presentation, then people would be less likely to perceive math as a stagnant body of dry mechanics. If they were given a glimpse of the philosophy, open-ended questions, heated debates, non-numeric abstractions, rich history, or personalities involved, then they might be less inclined to perceive mathematics as a mere set of “tools” for solving “number” problems.

Yes, derivatives and integrals are interesting. For many people, this is where math finally starts to acquire appeal because that “literary” aspect begins to creep in. My argument is that derivatives and integrals are too often presented for bulk memorization without properly explaining what they really are or the history behind them. In fact, I submit that all math — even simple arithmetic and algebra — can be just as interesting if it were presented with the proper background and concepts.

Certainly, the balance between mechanics and literature in English education can be debated. But at least both elements are there.