Author Archives: Will Craig

I’ve talked a fair amount in some of the earlier posts about the idea of a proof. Now that we’ve developed a conceptual underpinning of what that means, we can see one in action. I hope my readers enjoy this as much as I do, as what we will discuss here is among my favorites.Continue reading “What Is a Proof?”

In my previous post, I talked about the conceptual progression from the most basic intuitions about counting to the more general idea of number that transcends any particular physical situation. As big a development as this is, I would say this not mathematics proper. In most civilizations where the number concept developed, the most complicatedContinue reading “From Numbers to “Pure” Math: Ancient Greece”

Before attempting to start talking about what math is and why I am so interested in it, I want to clarify what it is not. What I’d call math is probably is not what you learned in school. I think a better label for what most people think of when they hear “math” is calculation.Continue reading “Math is More Than Calculation”

In my last post, I argued that a distinction needs to be made between calculation and math. But certainly these are related, because calculation is about numbers, and math uses a lot of numbers. So what exactly is the connection? Working from my own experience being trained to be a mathematician and educator, as wellContinue reading “Where Did Numbers Come From?”