Mathematics and Beauty

In this innovative book, Nathalie Sinclair makes a compelling case for the inclusion of the aesthetic in the teaching and learning of mathematics. Using a provocative set of philosophical, psychological, mathematical, technological, and educational insights, she illuminates how the materials and approaches we use in the mathematics classroom can be enriched for the benefit of all learners. While ranging in scope from the young learner to the professional mathematician, there is a particular focus on middle school, where negative feelings toward mathematics frequently begin. Offering specific recommendations to help teachers evoke and nurture their students’ aesthetic abilities, this book:

• Features powerful episodes from the classroom that show students in the act of developing a sense of mathematical aesthetics.
• Analyzes how aesthetic sensibilities to qualities such as connectedness, fruitfulness, apparent simplicity, visual appeal, and surprise are fundamental to mathematical inquiry.
• Includes examples of mathematical inquiry in computer-based learning environments, revealing some of the roles they play in supporting students’ aesthetic inclinations.

Nathalie Sinclair is an assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics at Michigan State University.

“This is an exceptionally important book….It could be the starting point for many cognitive, social, and educational benefits.”
—From the Foreword by William Higginson, Queen’s University, Canada

“In a time of much sterile math teaching and grimly utilitarian school reform, this elegant and beautiful book brings to life a whole new vision….Nathalie Sinclair makes a brilliant case for rethinking math instruction so that an aesthetically rich learning environment becomes the path to meaning, intellectual journeys, and—dare we say the word?—pleasure.”
— Joseph Featherstone, Michigan State University