Math Through the Ages: A Gentle History for Teachers and Others

Rating:
Summary: An excellent place to start
Review: For math teachers at the high school or college level, or anyone else interested in math, this is an ideal introduction to the history of math. Start with the 55-page overview. Then read any or all of the articles that follow, on a variety of topics such as negative numbers, pi, quadratic equations, the Pythagorean theorem, the history of probability theory, and infinity, all around five pages each. Once you're finished with that, there's an extensive bibliography with plenty of suggestions for further reading on the topics that have piqued your interest.

Throughout, the authors have striven for (and succeeded at attaining) readability, accessibility, and historical accuracy. The result is a book that scores high marks for being both interesting and informative.

Rating:
Summary: Math history for everyone other than teachers
Review: In my opinion, it is impossible to understand a subject without knowing something about the people who developed it. Like other subjects, a mathematical result rarely springs into existence in a complete form, but is developed in increments, with several people involved in the construction. I am also a firm believer that all undergraduate math majors should be required to take a course in the history of mathematics. With the proper resources, it can be the most enjoyable course in the curriculum, and given the quality of this book, if it is the textbook, then any problems you have in the course are due to other factors.
Starting at the point where humans began to count their fingers and toes and ending with the initial development of the digital computer, the authors manage an impressive amount of depth in so few pages. It is a rare occasion when a book can be recommended reading for teachers from the middle school level up through the undergraduate, but this is such a case. The authors were justified in using the word gentle in the title, and it can be read by anyone with a high school mathematics education and beyond.
The writing is clear, succinct, and yet complete. For those interested in greater detail, there is a section devoted to what to read next, a list of online resources and an extensive bibliography. If you can't find what you are looking for by consulting these references, then it probably does not exist. If you have an interest in the history of mathematics, there is no better place to start than this book.

Published in Journal of Recreational Mathematics, reprinted with permission.

Rating:
Summary: Great choice as a text for a history of mathematics course
Review: Most of the texts available for history of mathematics courses are aimed at upper-level undergraduate students and try to be encyclopedic. This book fills a needed hole in the offerings through its accessibility to freshmen, and its explicit aim not to cover everything. It contains a 56-page snapshot overview followed by 25 articles on particular topics, ideal jumping-off points for student presentations and/or research projects. The articles are clearly written, not intimidating yet accurate and sensitive to the current state of the art in the field. The references to further reading are useful and reliable sources.

After 13 years of frustration, I may finally have found a book that works with my course. Highly recommended!

Rating:
Summary: The book is exactly as described
Review: This book is a resource that all high school teachers should have. It begins with a relatively short (about 60 pages) history of mathematics and then diverges into a series of indepth explorations of particular mathematical topics.
The history section at the beginning has many small tidbits which will enhance the learning experience. The indepth explorations, which range from Pythagorus to geometry, will nicely enhance your lesson plans. Most of them can serve as the theme that particular lessons can be built around. I am currently working on my practicum at a local highschool and I am using the book regularly.

Rating:
Summary: The book is exactly as described
Review: This book is a resource that all high school teachers should have. It begins with a relatively short (about 60 pages) history of mathematics and then diverges into a series of indepth explorations of particular mathematical topics.
The history section at the beginning has many small tidbits which will enhance the learning experience. The indepth explorations, which range from Pythagorus to geometry, will nicely enhance your lesson plans. Most of them can serve as the theme that particular lessons can be built around. I am currently working on my practicum at a local highschool and I am using the book regularly.