Review of
The
Harmony of the World: 75 Years of Mathematics
Magazine, edited by Gerald L. Alexanderson and
Peter Ross, the Mathematical Association of America, Washington, D. C., 2007.
304 pp., $55.95 (hardbound). ISBN 9780883855607.
Five out of five stars
Given a publication history of 75 years, finding a
collection of 38 papers that are an accurate representation of the content is
an impossible task. Mathematics is a very broad subject with many applications
that have been reflected in the pages of Mathematics
Magazine. Yet, to their credit, the editors do as good a job as is possible.
The papers in
this book, all of which appeared in Mathematics
Magazine, are yet another demonstration of the incredible breadth of
mathematics. Although the majority deal with some aspect of history, the study
of the history of mathematics is also a demonstration of the breadth.
The organization is based on decades, with a small
number of papers from each of the ten-year spans. For example, there are three
papers from the 1940s, five papers from the 1950s and seven papers from the
1960s. This is an organizing principle only, there is no other significance
that can be attached to it.
Although some
of the papers contain a bit of rigor, all of the papers are expository in
nature, accessible to the advanced undergraduate and suitable for assigned
reading. Teachers of the history of mathematics will find many of the papers
appropriate for student reading and discussion. Each paper begins with a short
“Editor’s note” that establishes the context of the paper, including a brief
bio of the author. As with the rest of the book, this feature is also well
done.
This book was made available for free for review
purposes
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