A Mathematics Sampler

Book excerpt: Now in its fifth edition, A Mathematics Sampler presents mathematics as both science and art, focusing on the historical role of mathematics in our culture. It uses selected topics from modern mathematics--including computers, perfect numbers, and four-dimensional geometry--to exemplify the distinctive features of mathematics as an intellectual endeavor, a problem-solving tool, and a way of thinking about the rapidly changing world in which we live. A Mathematics Sampler also includes unique LINK sections throughout the book, each of which connects mathematical concepts with areas of interest throughout the humanities. The original course on which this text is based was cited as an innovative approach to liberal arts mathematics in Lynne Cheney's report, "50 HOURS: A Core Curriculum for College Students", published by the National Endowment for the Humanities.