VIGNETTE

A vignette is a short stand-alone piece of mathematical writing. It is intended to give students a

sense of connectedness between the mathematics in our world and contemporary research
and applications in the mathematical sciences. Thus it will start with something with which the
student is familiar and move towards a greater understanding of the subject through a piece of
interesting mathematics. It will ultimately illustrate a key principle of mathematics. The vignette
must be written in a way to complete this journey.

CHARACTERISTICS

Structure

A vignette will:

1. Be short (2-3 pages)

2. Be written in an expository style with a narrative flow. Mathematical detail is included
where it is unusual, especially informative or constitutes the core point.
3. Contain some significant mathematics ideas/concepts.
4. Be mathematically honest (correct in essence but not necessarily complete in all detail).
5. Direct readers to more information, e.g references (which will be accessible by
teachers), web-links, or resource people.

Style

A vignette will have:

1. An opening paragraph (the hook) which will make the reader want to keep reading, or
entice the reader to click “Continue reading” (normally including an illustration).
2. A mathematical point (illustrating some characteristic of mathematics greater than the
subject of the vignette).
3. A connection to research or applications within the past years, or a new light on classical
mathematics. All themes are likely to have historical roots, but these will not normally
make up the main part of the vignette.
4. A connection to the mathematics of the class, helping students think about the
mathematics they learn in a new light.
5. Appropriate illustrations.

Reference: http://blog.kleinproject.org/?page_id=363