math 01: Mathematicon

Mathematicon

A Lexicon of Basic Mathematical Notions and Interesting Facts and Ideas

Marcel Danesi

University of Toronto & Fields Institute for Research in Mathematical Sciences

This mathematicon is a lexicon of mathematics, designed to explain basic ideas, notions, theories, applications, in mathematics, as well as to describe classic problems and puzzles and their importance to the history of mathematics. It is intended for a general public, and especially for students of mathematics (in high school or college), as well as math teachers. This book falls under the rubric of emphasizing the importance of mathematics to a broad public, which is a major goal of the CogSci Network of the Fields Institute for Research in Mathematical Sciences.

Each entry is written in a clear style, making no assumptions as to background knowledge on the part of the reader. Illustrations, applications, and comments of a historical-cultural nature are incorporated into most of the entries. This book is not a typical dictionary, but a glossary of mathematical facts and ideas that could be read as a general overview of what mathematics is and what it allows us to accomplish. For students, the mathematicon might help them gain the confidence needed to do well in the discipline; for the general reader, my hope is that it will provide insights on the relevance of mathematics today in a world where “partnerships between mathematicians and computer scientists are bulling into whole new domains of business and imposing efficiencies in math,” as the New York Times journalist, Thomas Friedman, has so aptly put it.