Charming Proofs
Charming Proofs
Roger B. Nelsen, Lewis and Clark College, Portland
£43.99
GBPTheorems and their proofs lie at the heart of mathematics. In speaking of the purely aesthetic qualities of theorems and proofs, G. H. Hardy wrote that in beautiful proofs 'there is a very high degree of unexpectedness, combined with inevitability and economy'. Charming Proofs presents a collection of remarkable proofs in elementary mathematics that are exceptionally elegant, full of ingenuity, and succinct. By means of a surprising argument or a powerful visual representation, the proofs in this collection will invite readers to enjoy the beauty of mathematics, and to develop the ability to create proofs themselves. The authors consider proofs from topics such as geometry, number theory, inequalities, plane tilings, origami and polyhedra. Secondary school and university teachers can use this book to introduce their students to mathematical elegance. More than 130 exercises for the reader (with solutions) are also included.
- Over 130 challenges (and their solutions) draw the reader into the process of creating proofs for themselves
- Suitable as a supplementary text for an introductory course on proofs, mathematical reasoning, or problem solving
- Over 250 figures are used to facilitate both the proofs themselves and the reader's understanding
Product details
January 2011Hardback
9780883853481
316 pages
235 × 160 × 23 mm
0.54kg
269 b/w illus. 3 tables 149 exercises
This item is not supplied by Cambridge University Press in your region. Please contact Mathematical Association of America for availability.
Table of Contents
- Preface
- Introduction
- 1. A garden of integers
- 2. Distinguished numbers
- 3. Points in the plane
- 4. The polygonal playground
- 5. A treasury of triangle theorems
- 6. The enchantment of the equilateral triangle
- 7. The quadrilaterals' corner
- 8. Squares everywhere
- 9. Curves ahead
- 10. Adventures in tiling and coloring
- 11. Geometry in three dimensions
- 12. Additional theorems, problems and proofs
- Solutions to the challenges
- References
- Index
- About the authors.
