5 Must Read Math Books to Learn Mathematical Thinking
In the past few weeks, many of my readers have asked me for book recommendations about mathematical proof. Below, I have listed some of the books that my teachers have recommended to me in my academic career and that I have had the opportunity to read. I hope that these resources will reinvigorate your brain to think more mathematically.
People sometimes find themselves wanting to learn about math. When they explore this curiosity by opening and trying to read a math book, however, they feel like they are stranded in the middle of an ocean. That is because most mathematicians assume their audience is at the same level as them and thus write their math learning books for those who are already really good at it. This leads many readers to silently put away the book after just a couple of pages.
Like I mentioned before, man cannot love something or someone that they do not know. Therefore, it is ridiculous to expect someone who is not familiar with mathematics to enjoy and embrace it. The question of how to learn mathematics arises, then. The answer to that is quite simple, actually, you first have to learn mathematical proof techniques, the core of math itself.Furthermore, mathematical proof is a type of artwork. Just how sitting across from a Picasso for hours, trying to understand and encompass the painting, is incredibly enjoyable, learning about and internalizing one of Euclid or Gauss’s proofs is similarly enthralling and enjoyable.
I have also compiled a list of mathematicians’ favorite proof books in Abakcus. You can find that list here.Book of Proof
Book of Proof should be a bedside book for anyone trying to get into mathematical thinking and should be on every math student’s bookshelf. I can confidently say that in the 36 years I have been alive, I have never seen a book that is as well organized and…
