"Most of us learn mathematics backwards, as if getting the correct answer is what matters. As Jerry King knows, mathematics is much more about creating good questions than calculating good answers. Mathematics in 10 Lessons deals with the foundations and first principles of arithmetic, probability, the calculus, number theory, and other matters such as truth, beauty, and elegance."
PETER G. BEIDLER,
Named National Professor of the Year in 1983 by the
Council for Advancement and Support of Education
"For the curious reader Mathematics in 10 Lessons is must reading for its insight into truth and the mathematics world. King’s style of writing is distinguished by its ease and clarity but most importantly by its elegance. No one does a better job of presenting mathematics to nonmathematicians."
GERALD HIGDON
Associate Professor of Mathematics, Fitchburg State College
"Jerry King has produced a gem: a Grand Tour indeed....So buy it – not to read as a textbook but to savor as a personal tutorial with ample time between chapters to study. Take it slowly and build up, perhaps for the first time, a sense of learning about mathematics as a living discipline, not an established, boring field where everything is known.... Sit back, think, and enjoy."
DAVE WILLIAMS
President, The University of Alabama in Huntsville
Many of us trained mainly in the humanities and liberal arts may respect mathematics as an essential scientific discipline, but have done very little mathematics and often feel intimidated by its rigors. If you’ve ever wondered what mathematicians mean by the aesthetic elegance of their subject, here is your chance to experience firsthand mathematics’ intellectual pleasures.
Martin Gardner, in his review of Jerry King’s The Art of Mathematics, praised King:
“Creative mathematicians seldom write for outsiders, but when they do, they usually do it well. Jerry King, a professor at Lehigh University, is no exception.”
For his new book, Jerry P. King has designed a grand tour of mathematics in ten essential lessons for the general reader who wants to know how mathematics is done. Almost no prior mathematical knowledge is assumed and through lively exposition and lucid explanations real mathematics is made not only palatable, but even enjoyable to the uninitiated.
Professor King begins by establishing two key points: first, all mathematics flows from a few fundamental principles. Second, aesthetic considerations provide both the motivation for mathematics research and the standards for evaluating that research. The book is structured so that the reader gradually builds up an ever-greater skill set as each lesson is mastered.
The essential concepts introduced include symbolic logic, infinity, rational numbers, number theory, real and imaginary numbers, function, probability, calculus, and the building of mathematical models in applied mathematics. Throughout his exposition, King provides brief historical digressions, which highlight key developments made by the giants in the field of mathematics.
Eloquently written and clearly presented, Mathematics in 10 Lessons will inspire the reader to go on to learn more and will instill a true appreciation for mathematics as both an art and a science.
Binding: Paperback
Pages: 394 (includes illustrations)
ISBN: 978-1-59102-686-0
Shipping Weight: 1lbs
Author Bio:
Jerry P. King, PhD (Bethlehem, PA), is professor emeritus of mathematics and dean emeritus of the graduate school at Lehigh University, where he spent forty-five years teaching mathematics and was awarded the university’s two most prestigious teaching awards. He is the author of the critically acclaimed The Art of Mathematics and numerous professional papers and reviews.
