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Dowland
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Chrystal, "Algebra, an Elementary Textbook" (1886) - Your opinion?
Hey! I'm in high school and have recently discovered how suggestive and ravishing mathematics can be, although I haven't got very far (only basic algebra, geometry and trigonometry - to give you a hint: I'm about to be introduced to derivatives, logarithms and such next semester, so...).
There's one thing about the mathematics education (in my country, Sweden) that has always annoyed me a bit: the lack of rigour. The mathematics education is largely based on mechanical counting by route and recognizing patterns in a quite superficial manner. I would like to get a more solid understanding of why things work as they do; for instance, instead of just presenting a method to solve a linear equation, I would also like to see the deduction of the method itself, using fundamentally derived quantitative properties from the "borderland"(?) between arithmetic and algebra, and learn to do my own derivations (or proofs, or whatever). And I would also like to have a more strict hierarchich evolution of the concepts in mathematics, where one clearly can discover and overlook how to or more concepts can help forming the next concept. Hope you sort of understand what I mean.
I have searched a little for books that would fit my wants, the closest I have got is this one: (warning: large PDF): http://djm.cc/library/Algebra_Elementary_Text-Book_Part_I_Chrystal_edited.pdf[Edit: Here's part II of the book: http://djm.cc/library/Algebra_Elementary_Text-Book_Part_II_Chrystal_edited02.pdf)
At Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0821816489/?tag=pfamazon01-20
My aim with this thread is mainly the following to:
*To hear your opinions regarding the posted textbook. Would you recommend it to a motivated high school student? I have looked into it a little, but it would be nice to here from someone with more experience in mathematics before I invest my time and money in this textbook. I'm grateful for all comments about the book.
*Do you think my aim of getting a solid understanding and conceptualization of the mathematics introduced in high school could be attained in another way instead? (For instance, other books you would recommend instead, e.g. a more modern textbook?)
Oh, and one last thing: Sorry for the not so good language, I hope it's fairly readable! :)
Hey! I'm in high school and have recently discovered how suggestive and ravishing mathematics can be, although I haven't got very far (only basic algebra, geometry and trigonometry - to give you a hint: I'm about to be introduced to derivatives, logarithms and such next semester, so...).
There's one thing about the mathematics education (in my country, Sweden) that has always annoyed me a bit: the lack of rigour. The mathematics education is largely based on mechanical counting by route and recognizing patterns in a quite superficial manner. I would like to get a more solid understanding of why things work as they do; for instance, instead of just presenting a method to solve a linear equation, I would also like to see the deduction of the method itself, using fundamentally derived quantitative properties from the "borderland"(?) between arithmetic and algebra, and learn to do my own derivations (or proofs, or whatever). And I would also like to have a more strict hierarchich evolution of the concepts in mathematics, where one clearly can discover and overlook how to or more concepts can help forming the next concept. Hope you sort of understand what I mean.
I have searched a little for books that would fit my wants, the closest I have got is this one: (warning: large PDF): http://djm.cc/library/Algebra_Elementary_Text-Book_Part_I_Chrystal_edited.pdf[Edit: Here's part II of the book: http://djm.cc/library/Algebra_Elementary_Text-Book_Part_II_Chrystal_edited02.pdf)
At Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0821816489/?tag=pfamazon01-20
My aim with this thread is mainly the following to:
*To hear your opinions regarding the posted textbook. Would you recommend it to a motivated high school student? I have looked into it a little, but it would be nice to here from someone with more experience in mathematics before I invest my time and money in this textbook. I'm grateful for all comments about the book.
*Do you think my aim of getting a solid understanding and conceptualization of the mathematics introduced in high school could be attained in another way instead? (For instance, other books you would recommend instead, e.g. a more modern textbook?)
Oh, and one last thing: Sorry for the not so good language, I hope it's fairly readable! :)
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