Ian Stewart - Inspired by Math #14

01/11/13 • 61 min

I ask Dr. Stewart to share his inspiration and enthusiasm about mathematics. Where do the ideas and the inspiration for writing your books come from? Where does your love of math and passion for sharing it come from? Is there an early childhood experience that served as a catalyst? What is mathematics to you? What is your favorite branch of mathematics and why? Can you share a story or two about someone who read one of your books and had their attitude towards math change? What do you think it is that readers are hungry for that you're feeding? What is your next book? What advice would you give to a parent whose child was struggling with math?

Previous Episode

Alfred Posamentier - Inspired by Math #13

Dr. Posamentier and I explore triangles: what is so special about them? Why a book about them? We discuss secondary school geometry education. Why didn't I and many others get a good geometry education? How is geometry a different beast from other branches of math? What advice would Dr. Posamentier give to parents whose kids are struggling with math? And more!

Next Episode

Mircea Pitici - Inspired by Math #15

[ Note: Audio quality choppy in places. We did the best we could. ] What motivated you to edit "Best Writing on Mathematics?" How did you pick 24 articles to include from thousands? Who is your audience? What makes a piece of writing beautiful the way a painting or a proof is beautiful? Tell us a bit about your life and how you first became interested in math. What advice would you give to a parent whose child struggled with math?