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Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

2015

Mathematics

Mathematics

Math Faculty Publications

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Book Review: How To Bake Pi: An Edible Exploration Of The Mathematics Of Mathematics, Darren B. Glass May 2015

Book Review: How To Bake Pi: An Edible Exploration Of The Mathematics Of Mathematics, Darren B. Glass

Math Faculty Publications

If you think about it, mathematics is really just one big analogy. For one example, the very concept of the number three is an drawing an analogy between a pile with three rocks, a collection of three books, and a plate with three carrots on it. For another, the idea of a group is drawing an analogy between adding real numbers, multiplying matrices, and many other mathematical structures. So much of what we do as mathematicians involves abstracting concrete things, and what is abstraction other than a big analogy? [excerpt]


On Pi Day, A Serving Of Why We Need Math, Darren B. Glass Mar 2015

On Pi Day, A Serving Of Why We Need Math, Darren B. Glass

Math Faculty Publications

Today, our Facebook feeds will be peppered with references to Pi Day, a day of celebration that has long been acknowledged by math fans and that Congress recognized in 2009. Every high schooler learns that pi is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter and that its decimal expansion begins 3.14 and goes on infinitely without repeating. [excerpt]