Poem about Euclid

    The phrase "looked on Beauty bare" appears in the title and once in each poem.  I think it means Euclid has investigated something that doesn't look beautiful at first glance, but can be when closely looked upon.  "While they stare At nothing, intricately drawn nowhere In shapes" may refer to mathematics being a complex topic that no many can fully understand.  Earth is mentioned in the first poem which may refer to the applications math has and its existence in nature.  I think "his vision shone Of light anatomized" touches on Euclid's work and its ability to be sustained through the centuries.  Euclid illuminated and brought forward many definitions, postulates, common notions, and principles that are still used in mathematics today.

Euclid and beauty

    I think Euclid and Euclidean geometry was so important over centuries because his most famous work, The Elements.  Using definitions and work from earlier textbooks from past mathematicians, Euclid compiles this information to write other definitions and postulates that are applicable to many different mathematic problems.  Just in my last math class, we used our physical bodies to represent the first three postulates, humanizing the mathematics that was written centuries ago.  These postulates, common notions, and principles are the "building blocks" for complex proofs.  They are simple and defined in a elegant manner, with no extra, unnecessary numbers or explanations.  I find The Elements to be beautiful because it can be used to explain the world around us.  Mathematics can be seen detached from reality at times and has a reputation of being abstract and impractical.  However, when applied in relatable situations and understood deeply, it can be seen anywhere. 

Was Pythagoras Chinese?

   I believe it makes a difference to students' learning whether or not non-European sources of mathematics is recognized.  I think it is an effective way to attract the attention of students when they can relate some part of themselves to the material being explored.  It can also be interesting for students to inquire about different cultures and investigate what factors might have been in play for the methods to be different from Euro-centric mathematics.  To do this, I would use activities similar to the ones we have been doing in our EDCP 442 and 342 class, exploring different ways a problem can be seen and solved and looking at the history behind it.

    I think the naming of the most well-known mathematical theorems and concepts is a depiction of a society that holds European culture at a higher level than other cultures.  Looking at the history of both the Pythagorean Theorem and Pascal's Triangle, there are roots in Chinese documents, before the time of Pythagoras and Pascal.  The Pythagorean Theorem was first recorded by the Old Babylonians and shows up in a clay tablet, Plimpton 322. 

Math History: Plimpton 322 and Trigonometry + Reflection

 Math History Powerpoint

Group: Ivan, Yiwei, Michelle

Reflection: 

I enjoyed researching about the history behind Old Babylonian Trigonometry and one of the tools they used to calculate large areas of land.  The Plimpton tablet was the main tool we researched and I was surprised that there was a lot of information online about it.  I had difficulty changing my thinking from base 10 to 60.  I have done math in base 10 for so long and was only introduced to other bases in university.  I can see how it can be beneficial to introduce the concept of different bases earlier in high school or elementary through math as well as computer science.