Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
  1. Home
  2. Books
  3. Hands on History
  • This book is no longer available to purchase from Cambridge Core
  • Cited by 7
Publisher:
Mathematical Association of America
Online publication date:
October 2011
Print publication year:
2007
Online ISBN:
9780883859766
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5948/UPO9780883859766
Subjects:
Mathematics (general), Mathematics
Series:
MAA Notes
Information

Book description

This volume is a compilation of articles from researchers and educators who use the history of mathematics to facilitate active learning in the classroom. The contributions range from simple devices such as the rectangular protractor that can be made in a geometry classroom, to elaborate models of descriptive geometry that can be used as a major project in a college mathematics course. Other chapters contain detailed descriptions on how to build and use historical models in the high school or collegiate mathematics classroom. Some of the items included in this volume are: sundials, planimeters, Napier's Bones, linkages, cycloid clock, a labyrinth, and an apparatus that demonstrates the brachistocrone in the classroom. Whether replicas of historical devices or models are used to represent a topic from the history of mathematics, using models of a historical nature allows students to combine three important areas of their education: mathematics and mathematical reasoning; mechanical and spatial reasoning and manipulation; and evaluation of historical versus contemporary mathematical techniques.

Reviews

The topics are very varied. Some of the devices seem to be only of nostalgic value, and perhaps only of interest to mathematicians and historians, but not so much to a student. However, many of the topics seem to have a great potential for a fun and interesting classroom activity. Some of them may be quite challenging to construct, but many should be straightforward. The book contains many illustrations, photographs and blueprints to help in the construction of these devices. I believe the book has achieved its own goal: it is a great resource for the teacher who wants to add some hands on (historical) activities in the classroom.

Álvaro Lozano-Robledo Source: MAA Reviews Online

Refine List

Actions for selected content:

Select all | Deselect all
  • View selected items
  • Export citations
  • Download PDF (zip)
  • Save to Kindle
  • Save to Dropbox
  • Save to Google Drive

Save Search

You can save your searches here and later view and run them again in "My saved searches".

Please provide a title, maximum of 40 characters.
Cancel
×

Contents

Contents

Metrics

Altmetric attention score

Full text views

Total number of HTML views: 0
Total number of PDF views: 0 *
Loading metrics...

Book summary page views

Total views: 0 *
Loading metrics...

* Views captured on Cambridge Core between #date#. This data will be updated every 24 hours.

Usage data cannot currently be displayed.