Re:Matt Parker – Standup Mathematician
by throwaway8521 on Saturday October 06, 2018 @07:24AM
(#18154573)
Matt, what are your top recommended intro to proofs books for math beginners?
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Re:Matt Parker – Standup Mathematician
by standupmaths on Saturday October 06, 2018 @07:41AM
(#18154627)
For a modern popular math book I would recommend The Man Who Loved Only Numbers (by Paul Hoffman) about the life Paul Erdős. Is a great intro to the life of a working mathematician and a bit about proof.
The classic text is How To Solve It (by Georg Pólya). A bit antiquated but still good.
Beyond that: find an introductory text book to a subject and start trying the worked examples!
Re:Matt Parker – Standup Mathematician
by maroonblazer on Saturday October 06, 2018 @10:01AM
(#18155153)
You'd recommend Polya over "How to Prove It" by Velleman? Polya's seems more about general problem-solving techniques, versus proofs.
Re:Matt Parker – Standup Mathematician
by throwaway8521 on Saturday October 06, 2018 @08:23AM
(#18154780)
Thanks for the recommendations!
Re:Matt Parker – Standup Mathematician
by fjsolwmv on Saturday October 06, 2018 @08:13AM
(#18154735)
Isn't that a bit misleading because Erdos was a famously unusual mathematician personality/lifestyle? I think focusing on Erdos as an intro fetishizes mathematicians/mathematics.
Re:Matt Parker – Standup Mathematician
by standupmaths on Saturday October 06, 2018 @09:07AM
(#18154937)
Good point but the book is very clear about how unusual Erdős was and talks about the lives of more normal mathematicians he worked with.