Reviews
Weltman's book can be read as a call for scholars, educators, and communicators of mathematics to grapple with the power our training and credentialing in mathematics grants us, and to understand that its most basic promise of solving problems is not automatic but one that we must realize.
This friendly, generalist book is a fun and easy read for anyone interested in mathematics, whether they have a strong background in the subject or not. More importantly, though, it's a thought-provoking look at the not-so-secret human side of mathematics.
...the essays are worthwhile reads that are thought-provoking.
Touching enthusiastically on a number of big, important, and hot topics in mathematics, STEM, and academia, Supermath is refreshing and different. This is a book that I will often reference and pull off the shelf!
Anna Weltman weaves a powerful argument that the practice of mathematics is culturally embedded and has the ability to shape society for the better if wielded thoughtfully and by a more diverse group of practitioners. Supermath presents a mathematics that is expansive, political, and beautiful—in other words, a mathematics that is humanized.
From the search for aliens to the search for twin primes to the search for racial justice, Anna Weltman spins a lot of great yarns. Better yet, each tale is true: a story of how math serves good or evil, clarity or confusion, depending on the choices of the humans who wield it.
This clever and engaging book illuminates the ways that mathematics depends on the sometimes flawed, sometimes transcendent humans who create it. Mathematics is not a universal language that gives you superpowers, but by understanding both its power and its limitations, we can use math responsibly as educators, decisionmakers, and citizens.
Book Details
Preface
Chapter 1. Is Math the Universal Language? Math and the Problem of Communicating across Cultures
Chapter 2. Can Math Predict the Next Move? Math and the Problem of Winning (or Not Losing, at
Preface
Chapter 1. Is Math the Universal Language? Math and the Problem of Communicating across Cultures
Chapter 2. Can Math Predict the Next Move? Math and the Problem of Winning (or Not Losing, at Least)
Chapter 3. Can Math Eliminate Bias? Math and the Problem of Fairness
Chapter 4. Can Math Open Doors? Math and the Problem of Opportunity
Chapter 5. What Is Genuine Beauty? Math and the Problem of Perception
References
Index