English – Page 12 – Mathemafrica

Mathemafrica needs You!!

We would love to develop the content here, but for that we need your input!

Whether you are a first year university student starting to study varsity level maths, or you’re a PhD student working on your thesis, a lecturer who has many years of research behind you, somebody working in mathematics education, a high school student who has suddenly come across a particular idea which blew your mind, or perhaps confused you to no end, we would like to hear from you.

We would like people who feel inspired to write about what mathematics means to them, and the parts of mathematics which inspire them.

Importantly we would like diversity both in terms of the level of mathematics discussed here as well as the language used. So whether you’re an English speaker, a Shona speaker, a Xhosa speaker, an Arabic speaker or any other language speaker/writer, please feel free to write in whichever language you are most comfortable.…

By Jonathan Shock| February 18th, 2015|Background, English|0 Comments

Presentation of the Mathemafrica framework to an Italian audience

Today I am presenting some of the ideas behind the Mathemafrica project to an Italian meeting, discussing the outcomes of the AIMS-imaginary meeting last month. The presentation can be found here:

Mathemafrica – Italian discussion

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By Jonathan Shock| December 17th, 2014|Background, English, Level: Simple, News|1 Comment

A personal introduction

I write this before Mathemafrica publicly launches. I want to give a little background about myself, what I am doing now, and what I see as the potential for Mathemafrica.

I am originally from England, Oxford to be precise. From a very early age I was fascinated with the way the world worked, being that pestering, questioning child who won’t take ‘just because’ for an answer. I was very lucky to discover early on that not only were there fascinating questions to be asked, but answers when you knew the right places to look. I was lucky to have resources at my fingertips and museums just down the road where there were mysteries to be solved on every trip. My curiosity was not sated by reading books and so I went on to study physics at University. After four years and still hungry for more I thought that a PhD might finally put a stop to my questioning, but of course that only added to the arsenal of tools at my disposal for answering them.…

By Jonathan Shock| December 13th, 2014|Background, English, Level: Simple|0 Comments

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AIMS-Newsletter with a report on maths communication in Africa

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AIMS-Newsletter with a report on maths communication in Africa

Check out the latest issue of the AIMS newsletter. It features images and a report on the AIMS-IMAGINARY workshop on “Mathematics Communication in Africa” and the exhibition, shown at AIMS-South Africa in Muizenberg.

Read the full newsletter:
http://imaginary.org/sites/default/files/aims_south-africa_newsletter_november_2014_0.pdf

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By Andreas Daniel Matt| December 8th, 2014|English, News|0 Comments

Mathematics in Africa – news from the EMS Newsletter

News from the EMS Newsletter, November 29, 2014:

1. CANP4, the fourth event in the Capacity and Network Project organized by the International Commission of Mathematical Instruction (ICMI) and supported by the International Council of Science (ICSU) held its first meeting in East Africa in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on September 1-12 204, with more than 80 participants from Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda, This event led to the creation of a new ‘East Africa Mathematics Education and Research Network’. The founding President is Dr Alphonse Uworwabayeho (Rwanda) and the founding Secretary is Dr. Angelina Bijura (Tanzania).

2. Call for Candidates for Ibni Prize 2014.
The Prize “Ibni Oumar Mahamat Saleh” has been created in memory of our colleague and to continue its commitment to Mathematics in Africa. The prize is awarded annually to a young mathematician from Central Africa or West Africa. Applications are evaluated by a scientific committee set up by CIMPA.…

By Andreas Daniel Matt| November 30th, 2014|English, Level: Simple, News|0 Comments

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The fractals at the heart of African design

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The fractals at the heart of African design

I am a mathematician, and I would like to stand on your roof.’ That is how Ron Eglash greeted many African families he met while researching the fractal patterns he’d noticed in villages across the continent.

Watch this TED Video by Ron Eglash, an ethno-mathematician, who studies the way math and cultures intersect. He has shown that many aspects of African design — in architecture, art, even hair braiding — are based on perfect fractal patterns.

Reference: TED web page.

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By Andreas Daniel Matt| November 24th, 2014|Background, English|1 Comment

A foray into a new number system – an introduction to imaginary numbers

This is the introduction which I give to my first year mathematics class when they see imaginary numbers for the first time. I thought I’d type it up here as it’s received good reactions the two times that I’ve introduced it in this format. Note that this probably isn’t the canonical way to introduce complex numbers, but then most of my lectures don’t necessarily take the normal route…

Complex Numbers, a philosophical detour

Before we get on to talking about imaginary numbers and complex numbers, let’s try and break down our preconceptions about numbers in general.

We look at the world around us and see many things which we categorise. We see a computer, a piece of paper, we see other people, we see our hands. These are labels that we use to categorise the world, but these objects seem very physical and very real. We rarely question their existence, though if one wants to take the Cartesian view, we should also question the reality we are in.…

By Jonathan Shock| November 11th, 2014|Background, English, Level: Simple|0 Comments