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Popular mathematics

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Popular mathematics is mathematical presentation aimed at a general audience. Sometimes this is in the form of books which require no mathematical background and in other cases it is in the form of expository articles written by professional mathematicians to reach out to others working in different areas.

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Some of the most prolific popularisers of mathematics include Keith Devlin, Rintu Nath, Martin Gardner, and Ian Stewart. Titles by these three authors can be found on their respective pages.

On zero

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  • Charles Seife (2000). Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea. Souvenir Press. ISBN 978-0-285-63594-4.
  • Robert Kaplan (2000). The Nothing That Is: A Natural History of Zero. Oxford. ISBN 978-0-19-514237-2.
  • Rintu Nath (2013). Moments in Mathematics. Vigyan Prasar, Department of Science and Technology (India). ISBN 978-81-7480-224-8. Archived from the original on 2015-11-02.[circular reference]

On infinity

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On constants

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On complex numbers

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On the Riemann hypothesis

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On recently solved problems

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On classification of finite simple groups

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On higher dimensions

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On introduction to mathematics for the general reader

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Biographies

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Magazines and journals

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The journals listed below can be found in many university libraries.

  • American Mathematical Monthly is designed to be accessible to a wide audience.
  • The Mathematical Gazette contains letters, book reviews and expositions of attractive areas of mathematics.
  • Mathematics Magazine offers lively, readable, and appealing exposition on a wide range of mathematical topics.
  • The Mathematical Intelligencer is a mathematical journal that aims at a conversational and scholarly tone.
  • Notices of the AMS - Each issue contains one or two expository articles that describe current developments in mathematical research, written by professional mathematicians. The Notices also carries articles on the history of mathematics, mathematics education, and professional issues facing mathematicians, as well as reviews of books, plays, movies, and other artistic and cultural works involving mathematics.

Audio and video

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  • Simon Singh's Fermat's Last Theorem is available in audio and there is also a Horizon television program.
  • 3Blue1Brown, YouTube channel by Grant Sanderson.
  • Mathologer, YouTube channel by Burkard Polster.
  • Numberphile, YouTube channel by Brady Haran.
  • BetterExplained, YouTube channel and website by Kalid Azad.

Museums

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Several museums aim at enhancing public understanding of mathematics:

In the United States:

In Austria:

In Germany:

In Italy:

References

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