From ancient times, mathematics has developed side-by-side with physics; only in the last two hundred years they came apart as different branches of science. Extensive use of mathematics in other sciences, such as biology, chemistry, economics, pharmacology, environmental and social sciences is even more recent. Nowadays, knowledge of mathematical techniques is indispensable also for students and researchers in these fields.

The series of textbooks “Mathematics that Works” presents mathem...

Beroemde meetkundeproblemen uit de tijd van de Griekse wiskunde zijn de driedeling van een hoek, de verdubbeling van de kubus en de kwadratuur van de cirkel met passer en liniaal. Ruim twee duizend jaar hebben wiskundigen, zowel professionals als amateurs, zich tot het uiterste ingespannen om ze op te lossen. Pas in de negentiende eeuw heeft men de instrumenten in handen gekregen om de principiële onmogelijkheid van deze klassieke constructies aan te tonen. Dat was het geval toen de abstract...

Mathematics education is a mess. In primary education the development in arithmetic, geometry and other math topics is greatly hindered.

Mathematicians are trained for abstraction while education is an empirical issue. When mathematicians meet in class with real live pupils then they solve their cognitive dissonance by holding on to tradition. But tradition and its study materials have not been designed for empirical didactics. Pupils suffer the consequences.

The West reads from left to right...