The Beauty and Unity of School Mathematics

MATHEMATICS is bold, unifying and about big ideas—breathtakingly beautiful in its scope even.

Few encounter it with neutral attitudes.  Unfortunately, for far too many it is their difficulties with the subject that has won the day and continues to color and cloud their entire educational experience in science.

Beyond arithmetic, much of the discipline just seems obscure, even pointless to them, making it hard for them to obtain a big picture view of what it is all about.

This frustration and discouragement for them is real, visceral and long-lasting.  Yet it doesn’t have to be a lifetime point of view.

My name is G. Arnell Williams and one of my primary passions, as a college professor and author, has always been to help my students and readers come to the realization that beauty, utility and unity are not only observable from the high mountain ranges of mathematics, but that they are also present and visible in the valleys too—in the more elementary and fundamental areas of the subject that they have experienced personally.

This website contains information on the books and articles that I have written on mathematics and mathematics education that are intended for the general reader, as well as a sizeable section on quotations from mathematicians, scientists, educators, historians and philosophers; yielding an important yet “easy spoil of wit and learning”.

Additionally, there is a large section on my photography celebrating a different kind of beauty and unity in nature, and the human interaction with it; along with aphorisms from a few of its most well-known practitioners and advocates.

I find common themes between math education and photography. 

In both, content without creative, engaging presentation can lead to disappointment.  While on the other hand, such presentation devoid of content can also drastically fall short.  Yet, when both are present—in reinforcing measure—conditions for dynamic conceptual weather roll in, offering wondrous possibilities for the kindling of passion, deep insight and inspiration.

Thanks so much for visiting!

G. Arnell Williams