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Advances in Using Primary Historical Sources to Teach Mathematics: A Special Issue Introduction and Invitation
Get PDFIn this introductory article, the guest editors describe the genesis of this special issue of The Mathematics Enthusiast, provide an overview of its contents, and invite readers to join the authors of these articles and others in contributing to the ongoing efforts to bring primary historical sources to the mathematics classroom and research their impact on students and teachers
From Geometric Intuition to Arithmetical Rigor: Teaching Analysis with Bolzano’s Original Text
Get PDFIn this paper I argue for the value of reading primary historical texts in mathematics courses. In particular, I show how close readings of Bolzano’s 1817 paper on the Intermediate Value Theorem in an introductory analysis course helps students understand the working use of fundamental analytic concepts and problems. I further argue that the philosophical purpose of reading primary texts is the “desedimentation” of knowledge, a process through which students come to understand the origins of mathematical concepts as solutions to historical problems
