Reading interesting materials
Rationale: There are many interesting materials related to
mathematics on the Internet, in sharp contrast to many school libraries. Many
libraries often restrict themselves to mathematics textbooks, which are often
not very interesting to students, and rarely contain contemporary materials.
Internet based materials may reflect recent uses of mathematics, new
mathematical ideas or older mathematical ideas seen in new ways. As well as
good written material, some Internet readings may have an interactive element,
good illustrations, hyperlinks and so on; some may also include audiovisual
materials, such as video or podcasts, which of course place more demands on
Internet connections, computer software and even budgets. Some materials
intended for the general public are also suitable for students, especially
older students, and there are also good materials written expressly for
students. As well as resources for projects, etc, good readings may kindle
interests in mathematics that would otherwise not be sparked by more
conventional school experiences.
Here are some examples:
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Plus
is an internet magazine published five
times a year which aims to introduce readers to the beauty and the practical applications
of mathematics. Whether you want to know how to build a sundial, how to keep
your messages safe or what shape the universe is, it's all here. Published by
the Millennium Mathematics Project team at Cambridge University, each issue
has typically five articles, each restricted to a few pages long, and an
interview with someone who uses mathematics in their career. Previous issues
are archived. A wonderful resource for students, but also for others. |
This website offers an
opportunity to experience the effects of adding another zero to a number.
Each of the successive screens shows a power of ten in a journey that goes
from Ôquarks to quasarsÕ. The entire universe is explored, from the farthest
reaches of human knowledge of space into the tiniest particles in an atom. A
mind-boggling experience, a version of a wonderful black and white film by
Charles and Ray Eames many years ago. While it will help students make sense
of scientific notation, the website offers much more than that. |
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The Mathematical
Association of America publishes a number of online columns, an outstanding
monthly (or thereabouts) resource. Columns are archived and can all be
accessed from this page. Most likely to be of value to senior secondary
students are Keith DevlinÕs DevlinÕs
Angle and Ivars PetersenÕs The Mathematical Tourist, written by two
of the finest popularisers of mathematics alive today. Archives of these and
other columns (including some very good discontinued ones) are available too.
All readings are short, as a magazine column, and mostly accessible to a wide
and educated audience. |
Jill BrittonÕs website
comprises a huge range of interesting activities and information associated
with symmetry and tessellations. A wonderful site for browsing, and, although
not really a site intended mainly for reading by students, there are so many
interesting things here that students will find lots to read and think about
(as well as to do). The site is lavishly illustrated and will help students
see the connections between mathematical ideas and aesthetic ideas in
powerful ways. Related sites by the same author a similar assortment for Curves and Topology and
for Polyhedra.
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NOVA is published by the
Australian Academy of Science and the mathematics section includes some good
examples of mathematical modelling of various kinds, mostly located in an
Australian context. The examples usually contain some text, a glossary of
terms, some activities to explore, some further reading and some useful
related web links. These will give students a good sense of how mathematics
is used and important in a wide variety of settings. |
The extraordinary site
created by Dr Ron Knott in the UK provides a huge amount of fascinating
reading related to the Fibonacci sequence and the golden rectangle, and is
regularly updated with new and surprising connections between mathematics,
the natural world, the built world and aesthetics, all seen through the lens
of the amazing Fibonacci sequence. Millions of visitors and a large number of
international awards attest to the quality of the material, which will help
students see another side of mathematics in a delightful way. |
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The wonderful NRICH site
in the UK offers a range of materials to challenge and inspire younger
pupils, including those of primary school age. The material is generally less
sophisticated than that offered in the PLUS
magazine, which is produced by the same group at Cambridge University.
Amongst the materials are some nice enrichment articles for
students, classified by stages about various aspects of mathematics. |
This website allows
(sophisticated) users to read about some of the mathematics behind the
popular CBS television series, Numb3rs,
with mathematical additions from Mathematica.
ItÕs a good, if rare, example of mathematics in the popular domain. Some of
the mathematics from recent episodes is described and illustrated and can be
explored using the software. (There is a link to other episodes at the top of
the screen.) |
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Although it is focussed
on the UK, with different courses and nomenclature from those in Australia,
this is a really nice attempt to help students at different stages see how
important further study of mathematics is. The website is constructed and
maintained by a consortium of professional associations, sponsored by the UK
government, and gives a modern view of the place of mathematics in the world.
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A good collection of
modern examples of how mathematics plays a big, but frequently hidden, part
in peopleÕs lives. The chosen areas of security, communications, the
environment, finance, transport, industry and health are of central
importance to the modern world, and the brief descriptions of the role played
by mathematics are likely to interest many students and teachers. |
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This is a 13-part video
course produced for public television in the USA, rather than reading
material, and is directed at teachers and adults rather than students.
However, it is a recent series that is likely to be of interest to older
students and will serve the important purpose of bringing a fresh perspective
on mathematics in an engaging way. The series explores major themes in the field of mathematics, from
humankind's earliest study of prime numbers, to the cutting-edge mathematics
used to reveal the shape of the universe. The website contains interactives
and a mathematical history chart (Family Tree) as well as videos that can be
watched online (or purchased), but not downloaded, as well as a range of
excellent support materials, including readable text. |
This website offers a
number of short mathematical film clips, highlighting some of the ways in
which mathematical ideas appear in the everyday world. The material is
produced (and subscriptions sold) by The Futures Channel in the USA, so there
is an inevitable bias towards US contexts. However, many of the film clips
are likely to be of interest to students, and there are associated activity
materials provided as well for downloading. The emphasis of the movies is on
connecting mathematical ideas to the Ôreal worldÕ. |
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This nice series of
mathematical moments is produced by the American Mathematical Society. It
comprises brief snippets related to the ways in which mathematics is of
relevance to todayÕs world. The main materials comprise one-page posters (in
US letter size, unfortunately) on contemporary topics, with many of these
including also some supporting materials, including podcast interviews and
web links in many cases. The posters can be printed for classroom display; a
shorter and less technical version is available for most. The moments are
sorted into categories of science, nature, technology and human culture, and
some are available in languages other than English as well. |
The American
Mathematical Society hosts a monthly essay on some aspect of mathematics,
with an archive of columns stretching back to the late 1990Õs. Columns vary
in style and topic, although most are designed to be accessible to a wide
audience, even if some of the mathematical details seem at first to be a
little daunting. (As the editors note, even if you get a little bogged down,
it is a good idea to look at what comes later in an article). These columns
give a good sense of the myriad ways that mathematics is used these days as
well as topics that mathematicians find interesting. |
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As the title suggests, many
of the materials on this site, or linked to from this site, have a strong
visual sense, so that a major attraction might be concerned with aesthetics.
In recent years, with the rise of computer graphics and the use of
mathematics in films and other media, new mathematical ideas such as chaos
and fractals have become very prominent. Many of these are visible on this
site, and are of interest even if the details of the mathematics are beyond
the ÔreadersÕ, at least at first. |
Another? |