What is a mathematician? In this course, we will take inspiration from the great thinkers from history, the people who asked the big questions and developed the ideas that allow for our modern, technological world. People from every continent and era of history have asked themselves some of the same, most important questions about the nature of our world: what are numbers, how do they work, and how can we use them to improve our lives?
Each day, the class will engage in some background discussion on a particular era of mathematics, and then students will use resources to do self-directed research on the mathematicians that most capture their interest. They will then communicate their findings to their classmates to share and discuss what they have learned. We will focus on the emergence of mathematics in Africa, Sumer, India, China, Meso-America, and Greece, the development of our modern formulations during the Islamic Golden Age and the Enlightenment in Europe, and the mathematicians of the modern era from across the globe.
Through this class, students are encouraged to develop their own identity as mathematicians and pose their own questions sparked by the research they have done.
Should you have any questions about the session, please reach out to Ms. Bryan, PhD at
rbryan@sierracanyonschool.org.