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Opinions expressed on these pages were the views of the writers and did not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the American Mathematical Society.
Category Archives: History of Mathematics
Join In The Fun For #Noethember
The Inktober design challenge was created in 2009 by Jake Parker, an illustrator, writer and teacher based in Provo, Utah. Worldwide, thousands of artists participate in this endeavor, which challenges them to create ink drawings (pencil sketches under the ink … Continue reading
Radical Notation
There was one day in my life when I got a standing ovation in a calculus class. I’ll admit, it was an extra special group of students who were prone to spontaneous outbursts of enthusiasm. Business Calc, amiright? But it … Continue reading
Posted in History of Mathematics
Tagged Dave Richeson, Jeff Miller, Math Overflow, Notation, Wolfram
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A Not Too Mathy Math Blog
Lauren Miller’s favorite number is 23. “I really liked being 23, that was the year I decided to become a mathematician,” Miller told me over burgers and beers in Claremont, California this week. After taking a circuitous route through education … Continue reading
Posted in History of Mathematics, Math Education
Tagged Ada Lovelace, Girls Who Code, Lauren Miller, Life By Number, SageDays
2 Comments
Public Domain Math
Many pieces of mathematics — for example, simple geometric shapes and some mathematical formulas — are uncopyrightable or unpatentable. You can’t copyright a square or patent the area formula for a circle. Anyone can use them. But this post is … Continue reading
They Answered The Call Of Numbers
“Hidden Figures is a book about people like you, who answered the call of numbers,” said the author Margot Lee Shetterly, addressing a packed room at the Joint Math Meetings in Atlanta this January. The book, which tells the story … Continue reading
Posted in History of Mathematics, women in math
Tagged Hidden Figures
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Celebrating Black Mathematicians
As you may know, February is Black History Month in the U.S. To celebrate, the new website Mathematically Gifted and Black is featuring a different black mathematician every day this month. The site was started by mathematicians Erica Graham, Raegan … Continue reading
Posted in Events, History of Mathematics, people in math
Tagged #blackandSTEM, African American history, black history month, black mathematicians, womeninSTEM
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What Should Mathematicians Do Now?
Mathematicians sometimes pretend we are above the everyday vicissitudes of life, preferring to inhabit a realm of abstraction and perfection, but that’s a lie. We live here too. We are voters, citizens, residents, and teachers. What happens in our country … Continue reading
Posted in History of Mathematics, people in math
Tagged elections, keeping students safe, mathematics in society, politics, voting
8 Comments
Beyond Euro-American Mathematics
A New York Times op-ed by Jay L. Garfield and Bryan W. Van Norden earlier this month calls out university philosophy departments for their lack of diversity. “We therefore suggest that any department that regularly offers courses only on Western philosophy … Continue reading
Celebrating Our Sisters in STEM
Did you know that a group of six women programmed the first ever electronic computer? Just one of the interesting facts I’ve learned this March, and in honor of Women’s History Month I wanted to give a well-deserved tip of … Continue reading
Posted in History of Mathematics, women in math
Tagged female mathematicians, gender politics, Grandma Got STEM, Izabella Laba, Jordan Ellenberg, womeninSTEM
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