Review: Publications

Source: The Mathematics Teacher, Vol. 108, No. 9 (May 2015), pp. 716-717
Published by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
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FOR YOUR
information
Mathematicians on Creativity, Peter
Borwein, Peter Liljedahl, and Helen Zhai,
eds., 2014. 216 pp., $30.00 paper. ISBN
978‑0‑88385‑574‑4. Mathematical Asso‑
ciation of America; www.maa.org.
What is the process by
which mathematics is
created? This collection
of quotations and snip-
pets of work offers some
insight into the minds of
many gifted mathemati-
cians and how they view the creative
process within their field. With ties to
earlier surveys of practicing mathemati-
cians (significantly, by Hadamard), the
authors set out to combine both contem-
porary and historical perspectives on
this issue.
Mathematicians on Creativity has
no narrative arc or argument and little
in the way of summary. Readers are
encouraged to browse (rather than read
straight through) and to draw their own
conclusions. The result is a somewhat
disjointed effect.
In the end, finding the right use for
the book is somewhat challenging. As
an occasional read, it may serve as a
casual and enjoyable distraction. Care-
ful reading selections could also serve
well during an introduction to proof,
helping show students that mathemat-
ics is both challenging and beautiful and
that even the very best mathematicians
sometimes need to rely on a “Eureka!
moment.” Although the selection and
content of the included quotations are
quite interesting, the book ultimately left
Prices of software, books, and materials are
subject to change. Consult the suppli­ers
for the current prices. The comments
reflect the reviewers’ opinions and do
not imply endorsement by the National
Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
716 MATHEMATICS TEACHER | Vol. 108, No. 9 • May 2015
Thisofcontent
Copyright © 2015 The National Council of Teachers
Mathematics,
This material may not be copied or distributed electronically or in any other
me wanting more depth of organization
and analysis.
—Joshu Fisher
Johns Hopkins University Center
for Talented Youth
Baltimore, MD
The Improbability Principle: Why
Coincidences, Miracles, and Rare
Events Happen Every Day, David J.
Hand, 2014. 288 pp., $27.00 cloth. ISBN
978‑0‑374‑17534‑4. Scientific American/
FSG; www.fsgbooks.com.
David Hand uses two
fundamental (and contra-
dictory) laws to explain
improbable phenomenon.
The first is Borel’s law,
which states that suf-
ficiently unlikely events
are impossible. The second is the improb-
ability principle, which asserts that
extremely improbable events are com-
monplace, a result that is a contradiction
of Borel’s law. How can both principles
have validity in the real world?
The way in which we define and
describe probability allows for both
principles to have merit. The prob-
ability we learn in school presupposes
a universe of equally likely events,
which presume normal and indepen-
dent observations. This is precisely
how “unlikely” events become com-
monplace. Hand describes the Cauchy
distribution, which looks normal but
is not. Hence, a “five-sigma event” has
a 1 in 3.5 million chance in a normal
distribution but merely a 1 in 16 chance
in a Cauchy distribution—a probability
greater than the default alpha = .05!
This fact underscores that quantita-
tive researchers who assume normality
without actually testing for normality
can, at times, confound findings.
I recommend this book to students
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taking an intermediate statistics course
or higher. It is a must read for advanced
quantitative research students, who at
times take normality and statistical inde-
pendence for granted.
—Steven Daniel Harris
Walsh University
North Canton, OH
Qualitative Data Analysis: A Methods
Sourcebook, Matthew B. Miles,
A. Michael Huberman, and Johnny
Saldana, 2014. 391 pp., $80.00 paper.
ISBN 978‑1‑4522‑5787‑7. Sage Publica‑
tions; www.sagepublications.com.
As a graduate student,
I am in the process of
formulating the research
questions for my disserta-
tion and have been think-
ing about what I am going
to do with all the data
I collect. How am I going to organize
voluminous data, make sure that I code
them usefully and efficiently, and then
analyze and interpret them? Thus, I read
this book with great interest and high
hopes. I was not disappointed.
This book is a “resource universe,”
full of good, useful information. The
authors give realistic examples to illus-
trate their points; each example is fol-
lowed by a clear analysis, accompanied
by diagrams, if appropriate. The chapters
on coding and research design were the
most valuable to me, but in the next few
months I expect that the sections on
explaining, predicting, and drawing con-
clusions will be as dog-eared as the first
few chapters are now. And the chapter
on ethical issues, although relatively
short, presents numerous examples that
I will be able to share with my AP Statis-
tics class.
The book focuses on qualitative data
analysis; it is not a guidebook for quali-
on Tue, 23 Feb 2016
13:31:33 UTC
NCTM.
tative research. I will be referring to it
repeatedly.
—Mimi Corcoran
Highland School
Warrenton, VA
Teaching Math, Science, and Technol-
ogy in Schools Today: Guidelines for
Engaging Both Eager and Reluctant
Learners, Dennis Adams and Mary
Hamm, 2014. 176 pp., $27.95 paper. ISBN
978‑1‑4758‑0904‑6. Rowman and Little‑
field; www.rowman.com.
The purpose of this book
is to stimulate conversa-
tion and imaginative
thinking when engaging
students in mathematics,
science, and technology
and to provide tools and
strategies to promote that engagement.
It provides insights, justifications, and
strategies to engage all types of students
in mathematics, science, and technology.
The content includes references to stan-
dards, attitudes, and insights to address
major challenges facing educators today.
In addition, probing questions for teach-
ers as well as a detailed list of resources
and citations are included at the end of
each chapter.
Teaching Math, Science, and Technol-
ogy in Schools Today is very teacher
friendly, well organized, and consistent
in format and style. The guidelines that
it presents provide a useful and thought-
provoking outline for conversation and
consideration by faculty and adminis-
trative groups interested in improving
achievement in mathematics, science,
and technology by creating and envi-
ronment of engagement and discourse
among all students.
—James F. Bohan
Mathematics and statistics educator
(retired)
Lancaster, PA
Wizards, Aliens, and Starships: Phys-
ics and Math in Fantasy and Science
Fiction, Charles L. Adler, 2014. 392 pp.,
$29.95 cloth. ISBN 978‑0‑691‑14715‑4.
Princeton University Press; www.press
.princeton.edu.
Wizards, Aliens, and Starships is an
This content downloaded from 128.210.126.199 on Tue, 23 Feb 2016 13:31:33 UTC
objective take on the plausibility of sce-
narios that arise in the realm of science
fiction writing. Adler begins by distin-
guishing between fantasy
stories—which generally
do not follow the laws
of nature in any realistic
way—and science fiction
works—which usually are
grounded in the laws of
physics and the natural sci-
ences. Adler expertly divides the two
realms, first discussing with appropriate
mathematical detail why such tasks as
illuminating Hogwarts Castle cannot be
reasonably accomplished from an eco-
nomic and physical standpoint without
the use of magic. He then examines the
plausibility of space travel (including the
space elevator, spacecraft with various
propulsion systems, and light speed as
the “speed limit of nature”), the possibil-
ity of extraterrestrial life, and the short-
and long-term survival of humanity.
Adler draws from a wealth of knowl-
edge of science fiction literature and
analyzes major recurring themes from
a physical and economic standpoint,
drawing reasonable conclusions based
on principles and formulas from both
physics and business. He makes reason-
able assumptions in his discussions and
mathematically justifies his claims clearly
and accurately, all at a level that students
with some calculus and physics back-
ground can understand. This book would
definitely be suitable as a textbook for a
special topics physics course that exam-
ines some ideas and misconceptions that
drive science fiction writing.
—Michael Bice
California State University Stanislaus
Turlock, CA
Infinitesimal: How a Dangerous Math-
ematical Theory Shaped the Modern
World, Amir Alexander, 2014. 352 pp.,
$27.00 cloth. ISBN 978‑0‑374‑17681‑5.
Farrar, Straus, and Giroux Books; www
.fsgbooks.com.
Infinitesimal describes the conflict over
the proper approach to mathematics
and its implications for society at large,
with Galileo, Cavalieri, and Wallis on
one side and the Jesuits and Hobbes on
the other. The first part concerns the
Vol. 108, No. 9 • May 2015 | MATHEMATICS TEACHER 717
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
struggle in Italy between the proponents
of infinitesimals and the forces of the
Catholic Church, led by the Jesuits.
The second part concerns the struggle
in England between Thomas Hobbes,
who advocated an orderly society based
on the deductive reasoning of Euclid’s
geometry, and John Wallis, who pre-
ferred an inductive approach to math-
ematics and the use of the “very small”
when applicable.
Infinitesimal is more about history
generally than mathematics history.
The story is told within the context of
the Reformation and the threat of
Protestantism to Catholicism. The chaos
of conflicting Christian ideologies led
the Church—in particular, the Jesuits—
to set up a large educational system
designed to teach a single “truth.” The
result was that mathematicians who
advocated the use of infinitesimals, most
notably Galileo, were discredited and
their careers abbreviated. Thus, the cre-
ativity that produced the Italian Renais-
sance was extinguished, and the centers
of mathematical advance-
ment moved north-
ward. The advocates of
infinitesimals triumph,
and calculus and all the
mathematics that follows
from it are the result. The
discussions of inductive
reasoning and the difficulties with the
concept of infinity are fascinating given
that the notion of limits was not yet
widespread.
Infinitesimal is an excellent read,
providing perspectives on relationships
among mathematical proof, religious
beliefs, and politics. Who knew that
advocating for infinitesimals was a lib-
eral cause?
—Ward Stewart
University of California, Davis (retired)
Vallejo, CA
For more reviews of books for summer read‑
ing, see the online department.