Intriguing. As a mathematician and an artist… I had to stop reading this halfway through the first time. When I came back later, I mentally drew a chart to help myself understand what had caused the angst on the first read through. So many names and weird trajectories! But when I concentrated harder and visualised all the connections, it was much better. (It was like you’d thrown a pack of cards at me and I was trying to make sense of them! Our brains all work SO differently.) Anyway, an interesting read. Thanks so much.
Thanks, Beth. By names and weird trajectories, do you mean the connections between the ideas of these different authors? Perhaps I should have drawn a diagram, I just didn’t think of it. Apologies if it was confusing.
All cool. Just a different way of approaching information. There were a heap of names and connections, quite apart from the ideas. It didn’t feel ‘logical’ to my poor brain. But I had more time the second read through and wasn’t as overwhelmed. Just different types of brains which is why I art and you write. (My sister’s brain is like yours. She’s a writer and a teacher too.)
Thanks for the mention! I have enjoyed spending time with this book as well. I would love to hear an actual mathematician walk us through it some time.
I was wondering if you had come across it. Some of the constraints are very inventive, aren't they. Good idea about what mathematicians think of it. There is a round up of excerpts of reviews here, some of which are by mathematicians: https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9780691185422/html Trouble is, we don't which bits of the reviews have been left out! There was a review in the NYRB, but I haven't logged I to read it yet.
"I’m reasonably certain that had the maths textbooks I was given in school been more like this I’d have done much better in my exams than I did." Yes, math teaches analytical thinking and logic--It's a shame that the practical applications are rarely impressed on students. I have never thought of applying mathematical formulas to writing but I will leave that to greater minds. Thanks Terry!
Thanks Jim. I agree about the practical applications. I can still remember the square of the hypotenuse all these years later and I have NEVER had to use it. In my school, maths seemed to be there as a form of collective punishment. When I've finished the current batch of books I have to review, I'm going to read a book called Love Triangle, which I think is all about how useful geometry and trigonometry are in every day life.
"Personally, I’m prepared to take Ording’s word for it."
Me too, but this does sound rather interesting. Thanks for sharing, Terry.
Intriguing. As a mathematician and an artist… I had to stop reading this halfway through the first time. When I came back later, I mentally drew a chart to help myself understand what had caused the angst on the first read through. So many names and weird trajectories! But when I concentrated harder and visualised all the connections, it was much better. (It was like you’d thrown a pack of cards at me and I was trying to make sense of them! Our brains all work SO differently.) Anyway, an interesting read. Thanks so much.
Thanks, Beth. By names and weird trajectories, do you mean the connections between the ideas of these different authors? Perhaps I should have drawn a diagram, I just didn’t think of it. Apologies if it was confusing.
All cool. Just a different way of approaching information. There were a heap of names and connections, quite apart from the ideas. It didn’t feel ‘logical’ to my poor brain. But I had more time the second read through and wasn’t as overwhelmed. Just different types of brains which is why I art and you write. (My sister’s brain is like yours. She’s a writer and a teacher too.)
Thanks for the mention! I have enjoyed spending time with this book as well. I would love to hear an actual mathematician walk us through it some time.
I was wondering if you had come across it. Some of the constraints are very inventive, aren't they. Good idea about what mathematicians think of it. There is a round up of excerpts of reviews here, some of which are by mathematicians: https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9780691185422/html Trouble is, we don't which bits of the reviews have been left out! There was a review in the NYRB, but I haven't logged I to read it yet.
"I’m reasonably certain that had the maths textbooks I was given in school been more like this I’d have done much better in my exams than I did." Yes, math teaches analytical thinking and logic--It's a shame that the practical applications are rarely impressed on students. I have never thought of applying mathematical formulas to writing but I will leave that to greater minds. Thanks Terry!
Thanks Jim. I agree about the practical applications. I can still remember the square of the hypotenuse all these years later and I have NEVER had to use it. In my school, maths seemed to be there as a form of collective punishment. When I've finished the current batch of books I have to review, I'm going to read a book called Love Triangle, which I think is all about how useful geometry and trigonometry are in every day life.