How mathematicians think : using ambiguity, contradiction, and paradox to create mathematics / William Byers.

By:

Byers, William, 1943-

Material type: Text

TextPublisher: Princeton : Princeton University Press, c2007Description: vii, 415 p. ; 24 cmISBN:

9780691127385 (acidfree paper)
0691127387 (acid-free paper)
9780691145990 (pbk.)
0691145997 (pbk.)

Subject(s):

DDC classification:

510.92 22

LOC classification:

BF456.N7 B94 2007

Contents:

Introduction : turning on the light -- Ch. 1. Ambiguity in mathematics -- Ch. 2. The contradictory in mathematics -- Ch. 3. Paradoxes and mathematics : infinity and the real numbers -- Ch. 4. More paradoxes of infinity : geometry, cardinality, and beyond -- Ch. 5. The idea as an organizing principle -- Ch. 6. Ideas, logic, and paradox -- Ch. 7. Great ideas -- Ch. 8. The truth of mathematics -- Ch. 9. Conclusion : is mathematics algorithmic or creative?

Review: "To many outsiders, mathematicians appear to think like computers, grimly grinding away with a strict formal logic and moving methodically - even algorithmically - from one black-and-white deduction to another. Yet mathematicians often describe their most important breakthroughs as creative, intuitive responses to ambiguity, contradiction, and paradox. A unique examination of this less-familiar aspect of mathematics, How Mathematicians Think reveals that mathematics is a profoundly creative activity and not just a body of formalized rules and results."--BOOK JACKET.

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Holdings
Item type	Current library	Call number	Copy number	Status	Date due	Barcode
Book	City Campus City Campus Main Collection	510.92 BYE (Browse shelf(Opens below))	1	Available		A399874B
Book	South Campus South Campus Main Collection	510.92 BYE (Browse shelf(Opens below))	1	Available		A453845B

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Includes bibliographical references and index.

"To many outsiders, mathematicians appear to think like computers, grimly grinding away with a strict formal logic and moving methodically - even algorithmically - from one black-and-white deduction to another. Yet mathematicians often describe their most important breakthroughs as creative, intuitive responses to ambiguity, contradiction, and paradox. A unique examination of this less-familiar aspect of mathematics, How Mathematicians Think reveals that mathematics is a profoundly creative activity and not just a body of formalized rules and results."--BOOK JACKET.

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