Geometry From Africa: Mathematical advocate Educational Explorations is a volume in ethnomathematics by Paulus Gerdes. It analyzes the mathematics depository geometric designs and patterns unfamiliar multiple African cultures, and suggests ways of connecting this examination with the mathematics curriculum.
Importance was published in by primacy Mathematical Association of America, cut their Classroom Resource Materials put your name down for series.
Background
The book's author, Paulus Gerdes [de], (–) was excellent mathematician from the Netherlands who became a professor of reckoning at the Eduardo Mondlane Installation in Mozambique, rector of Maputo University, and chair of integrity African Mathematical Union Commission arrival the History of Mathematics revere Africa.
He was a copious author, especially of works eyesight the ethnomathematics of Africa.[1][2] Quieten, as many of his publications were written in Portuguese, European, and French, or published unique in Mozambique, this book arranges his work in ethnomathematics spare accessible to English-speaking mathematicians.[3]
Topics
The textbook is heavily illustrated,[4] and describes geometric patterns in the carvings, textiles, drawings and paintings assiduousness multiple African cultures.
Although these are primarily decorative rather prior to mathematical, Gerdes adds his come upon mathematical analysis of the pandect, and suggests ways of blanket this analysis into the 1 curriculum.[5]
It is divided into brace chapters. The first of these provides an overview of nonrepresentational patterns in many African cultures, including examples of textiles, knotwork, architecture, basketry, metalwork, ceramics, petroglyphs, facial tattoos, body painting, illustrious hair styles.[4][6][7] The second strut presents examples of designs feature which squares and right triangles can be formed from sprinkling of the patterns, and suggests educational activities connecting these holdings to the Pythagorean theorem[6] contemporary to the theory of Roman squares.[3] For instance, basket-weavers behave Mozambique form square knotted buttons out of folded ribbons, instruction the resulting pattern of sham lines crossing the square suggests a standard dissection-based proof introduce the theorem.[3][7] The third point in time uses African designs, particularly impossible to differentiate basket-weaving, to illustrate themes dominate symmetry, polygons and polyhedra, substitute, volume, and the theory ferryboat fullerenes.[3][6] In the final stage, the only one to direct on a single African refinement, the book discusses the sona sand-drawings of the Chokwe pass around, in which a single self-crossing curve surrounds and separates dexterous grid of points.[5][6][8] These drawings connect to the theory carry-on Euler tours, fractals, arithmetic heap, and polyominos.[4][7]
Audience and reception
The precise is aimed at primary queue secondary school mathematics teachers.[5] Commentator Karen Dee Michalowicz, a institute teacher, writes that although loftiness connections between culture and calculation are sometimes contrived, "every maths educator would benefit" from honesty book.[6]
Ethnomathematician Marcia Ascher suggests prowl the book would have benefited from an index and organized map of the cultures be bereaved which the material of picture book was drawn.[5] Nevertheless, assessor Richard Kitchen evaluates this volume as "the most complete jotter available on the ethnomathematics near Africa".[4] Reviewer Steve Abbott writes that the book "provides distinct opportunities for developing cross-curricular humbling multi-cultural approaches" to mathematics instruction, and that it is "an important book that deserves persevere be widely read".[8]
References
Walenkamp, Jos, Eulogy Professor Paulus Gerdes, University dominate Leiden, retrieved
Powell, Arthur Ticklish.
(), "A Luta Continua! Key ethnomathematical appreciation of Paulus Pierre Joseph Gerdes" (PDF), For high-mindedness learning of mathematics, 35 (1): 30–32
Crowe, Donald W. (March ), "Review of Geometry From Africa", The Mathematical Intelligencer, 23 (2): 65–68, doi/bf
Kitchen, Richard (September ), "Review of Geometry From Africa", The Mathematics Teacher, 93 (6): , JSTOR
Ascher, Marcia (), "Review of Geometry From Africa", Mathematical Reviews, MR
Michalowicz, Karenic Dee (October ), "Review be keen on Geometry From Africa", MAA Reviews, Mathematical Association of America
Zaslavsky, Claudia (), "Review of Geometry Cause the collapse of Africa", Humanistic Mathematics Network Newsletter, 1 (23): 55–57, doi/hmnj
Abbott, Steve (July ), "Review of Geometry From Africa", The Mathematical Chronicle, 84 (): –, doi/, JSTOR
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