Introduction to Cultural Mathematics
Introduction to Cultural Mathematics

Author: Thomas E. Gilsdorf

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2012-04-17

Total Pages: 323

ISBN-13: 111811552X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

INTRODUCTION TO CULTURAL MATHEMATICS Challenges readers to think creatively about mathematics and ponder its role in their own daily lives Cultural mathematics, or ethnomathematics as it is also known, studies the relationship between mathematics and culture—with the ultimate goal of contributing to an appreciation of the connection between the two. Introduction to Cultural Mathematics: With Case Studies in the Otomies and Incas integrates both theoretical and applied aspects of the topic, promotes discussions on the development of mathematical concepts, and provides a comprehensive reference for teaching and learning about multicultural mathematical practices. This illuminating book provides a nontraditional, evidence-based approach to mathematics that promotes diversity and respect for cultural heritages. Part One covers such major concepts as cultural aspects of mathematics, numeration and number symbols, kinship relations, art and decoration, games, divination, and calendars. Part Two takes those concepts and applies them to fascinating case studies of both the Otomies of Central Mexico and the Incas of South America. Throughout the book, numerous illustrations, examples, and motivational questions promote an interactive understanding of the topic. Each chapter begins with questions that encourage a cooperative, inquiry-based approach to learning and concludes with a series of exercises that allow readers to test their understanding of the presented material. Introduction to Cultural Mathematics is an ideal book for courses on cultural mathematics, the history of mathematics, and cultural studies. The book is also a valuable resource and reference for anyone interested in the connections between mathematics, culture, anthropology, and history.

Mathematics as a Cultural System
Mathematics as a Cultural System

Author: Raymond L. Wilder

Publisher: Elsevier

Published: 2014-05-20

Total Pages: 195

ISBN-13: 1483100618

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Mathematics as a Cultural System discusses the relationship between mathematics and culture. The book is comprised of eight chapters discussing topics that support the concept of mathematics as a cultural system. Chapter I deals with the nature of culture and cultural systems, while Chapter 2 provides examples of cultural patterns observable in the evolution of mechanics. Chapter III treats historical episodes as a laboratory for the illustration of patterns and forces that have been operative in cultural change. Chapter IV covers hereditary stress, and Chapter V discusses consolidation as a force and process. Chapter VI talks about the singularities in the evolution of mechanics, while Chapter 7 deals with the laws governing the evolution of mathematics. Chapter VIII tackles the role and future of mathematics. The book will be of great interest to readers who are curious about how mathematics relates to culture.

Mathematical Enculturation
Mathematical Enculturation

Author: Alan Bishop

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 210

ISBN-13: 940092657X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Mathematics is in the unenviable position of being simultaneously one of the most important school subjects for today's children to study and one of the least well understood. Its reputation is awe-inspiring. Everybody knows how important it is and everybody knows that they have to study it. But few people feel comfortable with it; so much so that it is socially quite acceptable in many countries to confess ignorance about it, to brag about one's incompe tence at doing it, and even to claim that one is mathophobic! So are teachers around the world being apparently legal sadists by inflicting mental pain on their charges? Or is it that their pupils are all masochists, enjoying the thrill of self-inflicted mental torture? More seriously, do we really know what the reasons are for the mathematical activity which goes on in schools? Do we really have confidence in our criteria for judging what's important and what isn't? Do we really know what we should be doing? These basic questions become even more important when considered in the context of two growing problem areas. The first is a concern felt in many countries about the direction which mathematics education should take in the face of the increasing presence of computers and calculator-related technol ogy in society.

Math, Culture, and Popular Media
Math, Culture, and Popular Media

Author: Michaele F. Chappell

Publisher: Heinemann Educational Books

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 170

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Realizing that middle-grades students bring to classrooms different experiences that shape their meaning about mathematics, both from inside and outside the classroom, it seems that embracing culture...is one important way to address a need in schools - that is, high achievement in mathematics by all students. - Michaele Chappell and Denisse Thompson If your students can text like this: cul8r bff, they can solve for this: 3x+5=39+2x In the middle grades personal identity becomes more important to learning than ever. More than a decade of research tells us that effective school mathematics has to be relevant to the lives and cultures of every student. Chappell and Thompson bring you a unique and user-friendly teacher resource that incorporates popular media from a variety of cultures in rich and engaging math investigations. A wide range of math concepts - from algebraic thinking to number and operation, geometry to probability - are embedded within dynamic activities. Engage your media-savvy students with investigations from popular films, games, literature, and the internet. Connect your students to stories from African American, Latino, Asian, and Native American cultures. Activities are ready to use or customizable for your classroom. CD-ROM includes: 90+ reproducible investigations with answer keys available as customizable Word documents Quick-reference matrix that cross references the activities by the five content strands of the Principles and Standards for School Mathematics from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and by the four cultural groups. You can bring middle school math to life for all your students. This resource, ready to supplement your existing curriculum, shows you how and why to do it

Mathematics and Art
Mathematics and Art

Author: Lynn Gamwell

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2016

Total Pages: 576

ISBN-13: 0691165289

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This is a cultural history of mathematics and art, from antiquity to the present. Mathematicians and artists have long been on a quest to understand the physical world they see before them and the abstract objects they know by thought alone. Taking readers on a tour of the practice of mathematics and the philosophical ideas that drive the discipline, Lynn Gamwell points out the important ways mathematical concepts have been expressed by artists. Sumptuous illustrations of artworks and cogent math diagrams are featured in Gamwell's comprehensive exploration. Gamwell begins by describing mathematics from antiquity to the Enlightenment, including Greek, Islamic, and Asian mathematics. Then focusing on modern culture, Gamwell traces mathematicians' search for the foundations of their science, such as David Hilbert's conception of mathematics as an arrangement of meaning-free signs, as well as artists' search for the essence of their craft, such as Aleksandr Rodchenko's monochrome paintings. She shows that self-reflection is inherent to the practice of both modern mathematics and art, and that this introspection points to a deep resonance between the two fields: Kurt Gödel posed questions about the nature of mathematics in the language of mathematics and Jasper Johns asked "What is art?" in the vocabulary of art. Throughout, Gamwell describes the personalities and cultural environments of a multitude of mathematicians and artists, from Gottlob Frege and Benoît Mandelbrot to Max Bill and Xu Bing. Mathematics and Art demonstrates how mathematical ideas are embodied in the visual arts and will enlighten all who are interested in the complex intellectual pursuits, personalities, and cultural settings that connect these vast disciplines.

Mathematics in Popular Culture
Mathematics in Popular Culture

Author: Jessica K. Sklar

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2014-01-10

Total Pages: 355

ISBN-13: 0786489944

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Mathematics has maintained a surprising presence in popular media for over a century. In recent years, the movies Good Will Hunting, A Beautiful Mind, and Stand and Deliver, the stage plays Breaking the Code and Proof, the novella Flatland and the hugely successful television crime series NUMB3RS all weave mathematics prominently into their storylines. Less obvious but pivotal references to the subject appear in the blockbuster TV show Lost, the cult movie The Princess Bride, and even Tolstoy's War and Peace. In this collection of new essays, contributors consider the role of math in everything from films, baseball, crossword puzzles, fantasy role-playing games, and television shows to science fiction tales, award-winning plays and classic works of literature. Revealing the broad range of intersections between mathematics and mainstream culture, this collection demonstrates that even "mass entertainment" can have a hidden depth.

Mathematics in Western Culture
Mathematics in Western Culture

Author: Morris Kline

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 1964-12-31

Total Pages: 513

ISBN-13: 0195345452

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This book gives a remarkably fine account of the influences mathematics has exerted on the development of philosophy, the physical sciences, religion, and the arts in Western life.

Mathematics Across Cultures
Mathematics Across Cultures

Author: Helaine Selin

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 489

ISBN-13: 9401143013

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Mathematics Across Cultures: A History of Non-Western Mathematics consists of essays dealing with the mathematical knowledge and beliefs of cultures outside the United States and Europe. In addition to articles surveying Islamic, Chinese, Native American, Aboriginal Australian, Inca, Egyptian, and African mathematics, among others, the book includes essays on Rationality, Logic and Mathematics, and the transfer of knowledge from East to West. The essays address the connections between science and culture and relate the mathematical practices to the cultures which produced them. Each essay is well illustrated and contains an extensive bibliography. Because the geographic range is global, the book fills a gap in both the history of science and in cultural studies. It should find a place on the bookshelves of advanced undergraduate students, graduate students, and scholars, as well as in libraries serving those groups.

5 Principles of the Modern Mathematics Classroom
5 Principles of the Modern Mathematics Classroom

Author: Gerald Aungst

Publisher: Corwin Press

Published: 2015-10-09

Total Pages: 141

ISBN-13: 1506322999

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Students pursue problems they’re curious about, not problems they’re told to solve. Creating a math classroom filled with confident problem solvers starts by introducing challenges discovered in the real world, not by presenting a sequence of prescribed problems, says Gerald Aungst. In this groundbreaking book, he offers a thoughtful approach for instilling a culture of learning in your classroom through five powerful, yet straightforward principles: Conjecture, Collaboration, Communication, Chaos, and Celebration. Aungst shows you how to Embrace collaboration and purposeful chaos to help students engage in productive struggle, using non-routine and unsolved problems Put each chapter’s principles into practice through a variety of strategies, activities, and by incorporating technology tools Introduce substantive, lasting cultural changes in your classroom through a manageable, gradual shift in processes and behaviors Five Principles of the Modern Mathematics Classroom offers new ideas for inspiring math students by building a more engaging and collaborative learning environment. "Bravo! This book brings a conceptual framework for K-12 mathematics to life. As a parent and as the executive director of Edutopia, I commend Aungst for sharing his 5 principles. This is a perfect blend of inspiring and practical. Highly recommended!" Cindy Johanson, Executive Director, Edutopia George Lucas Educational Foundation "Aungst ignites the magic of mathematics by reminding us what makes mathematicians so passionate about their subject matter. Grounded in research, his work takes us on a journey into classrooms so that we may take away tips to put into practice today." Erin Klein, Teacher, Speaker, and Author of Redesigning Learning Spaces