Prelude to Mathematics

by W.W. Sawyer

Book Overview

"No mathematician can be a complete mathematician unless he is also something of a poet." -- K. Weierstrass
In this lively and stimulating account, noted mathematician and educator W. W. Sawyer (Professor Emeritus, University of Toronto) defines mathematics as "the classification and study of all possible patterns." It is a broad definition, but one that seems appropriate to the great scope and depth of the topic. Indeed, mathematics seems to...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0486244016
• ISBN13: 9780486244013
• Release Date: February 2011
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.3" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

a clear introduction to mathematics

Prelude To Mathematics covers many aspects of the field of mathematics including modular arithmetic, non euclidean geometry, projective geometry, matrices and determinants. In addition the author discusses common themes in mathematics including pattern, generalization and unification. Although the types of mathematics are introduced in different chapters the author draws them together several times in the book making for a unified approach. I learned a lot from this book. It is the type of book you want to reread because there is so much information in it.

About That Delta Square Business! :-)

Well, this really is a terrific book. Lots of simple ideas very well explained. He spells out the notion of pattern quite well, and what it means in terms of mathematics. It seems many modern authors just state that math is about patterns and leave it at that. He seems to get to the point on many subjects that a reader has in the back of his mind as he reads about the material. I'm not sure this book is really intended for the layman. I'm sure many could handle it. Certainly the material is kept at a very introductory level, but he does seem to be talking to the teacher quite often, and some times to the budding mathematician. My Dover edition doesn't have an index. Too bad. Hard to believe there wasn't one, or should be one. A little bit of laziness on Dover's part? I have one bone to pick about a short piece of material. He claims Del Square V is the most widely found pattern in nature, pp. 13-14. He mentions its applications in physics, magnetism, electrostatics, radiation, waves, etc. I'm sure he's thinking of Del dot Del of V. Oddly, he never describes to the lay reader what it actually is. It seems out of place with the material in the rest of the book.) Anyway, he does provide a foot note, which in part says, "It expresses in symbols the law that the value of V at any point equals the average value of V on a sphere with its center at the point. That law treats all points and directions alike, and is the simplest law that does so." Good luck to the layman on that one. --

I MUST HAVE COME ACROSS THIS YEARS AGO WHEN

the material in it was over my head, but I had forgotten about it. What a treasure!! MATHEMATICIAN'S DELIGHT is more famous, I believe, but this book is filled with wisdom. Sawyer introduces finite geometries and group theory in simple prose. He figures out where Hall and Knight came up with the ideas for some of their exercises in their (famous) HIGHER ALGEBRA text. He introduces the hypergeometric function as a generalization of power series expressions of functions (something I feel I should certainly have heard of before reading about it here.) I can't imagine anyone with an interest in mathematics not finding something in this book to make him or her say "Hmmm..." or even make him or her pick up a pen and do some figuring. Highly recommended.

I finally found a modern rival for Sawyer!

I got Sawyer's book used in a book store and for 15 years I have used it's wisdom in my work on non Euclidean geometry, fractals and group theory. I just got " Elliptic Curves" by Mc Kean and Moll. For once a Cambridge book that doesn't eat dust! It is so hard to read papers by Yau that one gives up! Most Modern mathematics is written by people who can't communicate... Sawyer is a guide for writers of mathematics... how to do it well!

The best introductory math book!

This is the book that really got me interested in mathematics. I had never thought that a math book could be so engrossing. I finished reading it in a couple days and i immediately seeked out the author's other books. And the quality of the other book are of the same level as this one. It is a shame that the author's other books are mostly out of print. What i appreciate most about the book is that the math concepts are always are related to where it came from. The part on series is a small gem, and the book is full of ones like that. Without having met the author, he is in my mind certainly one of the best math teachers ever. (George Polya is another). Thank you, Mr Sawyer.