Mathematics Made Difficult"There is no doubt that an absolute ignoramus (not a mere qualified ignoramus, like the author) may become slightly confused on reading this book. Is this bad? On the contrary, it is highly desirable. Mathematicians always strive to confuse their audiences; where there is no confusion there is no prestige. Mathematics is prestidigitation. Confusion itself may be taken as the guiding principle in what is done here - if there is a principle. Just as the fractured leg confused the Zen disciple, it is hoped that this book may help to confuse some uninitiated reader and so put him on the road to enlightenment..."--Intro. (p. 10). |
Common terms and phrases
addition Africa algebra arithmetic ax³ axioms Boulangiaire boys brackets bricks bx² called cancel casting out nines circle civilisation coefficients common divisor commutative considered convex hull counting system course cube cubic difficulty divide division element example exists fact field finite fractions function greatest common divisor Hence highest common factor homomorphism idea ideal injective inside integers interior isomorphism lady loaves Loud mathematicians mathematics means mentioned mixed number monoid monomial morphism multiplication natural numbers negative numbers neighbourhood filter never no-one obvious ordered field Peano axioms polynomial possible prime factors prime numbers problem proof quadratic equation question quotient ring rational numbers reader rectangle Reply to Objection ring rule sequence set of numbers square root submonoid subset subtraction suppose surd thing topological topological group true Ujiji unit universally repelling words write