Despite mathematicians’ genuine quest

for rigor and truth, various fictions

infect math textbooks and classrooms.

Old and charming stories about

Pythagoras, Gauss, Galois, and the

Golden Ratio are part of the folklore of

mathematics but aren’t quite true.

Invention infects the history, so what

happens if we subtract it? Do we have

to? I’ll argue that invention is not all

bad; there’s a great place for invention

in the history of math.

Mathematics Awareness Month

Alberto A. Martínez, University of Texas at Austin

Malott Hall, room 251 - 212 Garden Avenue, Cornell UniversityParking information and directions: www.cornell.edu/maps

Public Lecture - Thursday, April 13, 2017 - 4:30 PM

Join the speaker after the talk in Malott 532 for pizza and conversation, sponsored by the Math Club.

Pythagoras and Other Fictions: Do we need them in math?