Excursions with Distributivity
Buch, Englisch, 111 Seiten, Paperback, Gewicht: 295 g
ISBN: 978-0-87353-712-4
Verlag: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
This extraordinary collection of essays, each of which uses the distributive principle to shed light on a different aspect of mathematical thought, encourages readers to find new ways of understanding the significance and limitations of a subject that is usually presented as purely logical and not often connected with how the mind works in other domains. Using the distributive property as a vantage point, the essays cast a wide net. For example, in one essay the connections between algebraic and geometric variations of the property are developed in the context of presenting enticing problems. Though prime numbers are part of the curriculum (in such diverse topics as the infinitude of primes, the unique factorization of composites into a product of primes, and the ability to reduce all fractions to “lowest terms”), in focusing on the distributive property, the author expands on the concept of prime numbers in ways that point out the deep significance of concepts that are often prematurely taken for granted.
A truly innovative and unique approach to an important concept, this book provides readers with a new perspective on mathematical thought. The book will inspire both teachers of mathematics of all levels and readers interested in mathematics to incorporate aspects of thinking and feeling that are rarely included in mathematical activities.