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.
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.
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 06 July 2010
First the music, then the words
In 1981, the British Government commissioned a report on the teaching of mathematics. Part of the project involved interviewing a representative sample of the population.
Both direct and indirect approaches were tried, the word ‘mathematics’ was replaced by ‘arithmetic’ or ‘everyday use of numbers’ but it was clear that the reason for people's refusal to be interviewed was simply that the subject was mathematics. … [The] apparently widespread perception amongst adults of mathematics as a daunting subject pervaded a great deal of the sample selection; half the people approached as being appropriate for inclusion in the sample refused to take part. … The extent to which the need to undertake even an apparently straightforward piece of mathematics could induce feelings of helplessness, fear and even guilt in some of those interviewed was, perhaps, the most striking feature of the study. … [These] feelings of guilt … appeared to be especially marked among those whose academic qualifications were high.
[[13], pages 6–7]Feelings of guilt can lead to excessive humility or to excessive hostility. Sometimes, hostility is expressed in the claim that any mathematical argument can be translated into non-mathematical terms. Thus, for example, the reason the moon can orbit the earth is shown by Figure 12.1, in which a stone is projected with successively greater initial velocity.
To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.
Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.
Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.
