Subject: Re: [HM] Mathematics as Theater
From: Fernando Q. Gouvea (fqgouvea@colby.edu)
Date: Sat Jun 03 2000 - 09:05:57 EDT
I want to publicly thank Bill Everdell (having already done so in private)
for his postings on the mathematical goings-on in the New York theaters. I
find this very interesting. It seems to indicate that science and
mathematics are beginning to once again be part of the over all cultural
scene, at least among relatively well-educated people. These plays,
together with recent novels with mathematical themes (Doxiadis' "Uncle
Petros", Schogt's "The Wild Numbers") and the success of books about
certain mathematicians or mathematical events (Singh's "Fermat's Enigma",
Nasar's "A Beautiful Mind") all seem to point to a new openness to
mathematics.
The interesting historical/sociological question is why. What factors have
suddenly made it fashionable to know about John Nash and Andrew Wiles, to
read novels or attend plays where part of the story hinges on whether a
proof exists, on whether it is correct, on who is its real author? No doubt
the very fact that such books and plays exist helps other such books and
plays to be written, but other factors must have helped start the trend. I
noticed, for example, that the author of "Proof" (one of the plays) said he
took a Calculus course at the University of Chicago. I've heard that
Chicago teaches a course based on Spivak's Calculus, emphasizing the
intellectual structure underlying the Calculus. Could it be that exposure
to such a course, even if only once during a college career, is helping
people realize that mathematics is indeed there and that people do indeed
dedicate their lives to it? Are such courses becoming more common?
Despite the "math is hard" undertones in much of this, I find the fact that
mathematics is more visible on the cultural scene than before
encouraging. I think it was Paul Halmos who once expressed sadness about
the fact that educated people did not know that his profession existed. It
seems that things are in the process of changing.
--Fernando Q. Gouvea Department of Mathematics Editor, FOCUS and MAA Online Colby College http://www.maa.org Waterville, ME 04901 fqgouvea@colby.edu http://www.colby.edu/math ==========================================================
There's no future in time travel
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