About
“Success with Mathematics” provided guidance for students who planned to study or were already studying a mathematics course at university entry level. It addressed the problems that students have with the transition from school mathematics to the rigorous and abstract nature of mathematics at university.
The Skillmath web site provided links to support the Open University book “Success with Mathematics” published by Routledge and was available through bookshops and Amazon.
Background to Mathematics
Eric Weisstein’s World of Mathematics describes itself as “the web’s most extensive mathematics resource”.
Alexander Bogomolny’s Cut–the–knot site contains a Glossary of Mathematical Terms with hundreds of topics from Abacus in Various Number Systems to Zipf’s Law.
A Dictionary of Units features Frank Tapson’s summary of most of the units of measurement used in the world, including the SI system.
University Sites for Mathematics Learning and Study
Success in Mathematics
This site at Saint Louis University, Missouri, offered tips on how to study mathematics, how to approach problem–solving, how to study for and take tests, and when and how to get help.
MathinSite (Java Applets and associated tutorial worksheets developed by Professor Peter Edwards of the University of Bournemouth as part of his National Teaching Fellowship project)
History of Mathematics
University of St. Andrews, MacTutor History of Mathematics
Earliest Known Uses of Some of the Words of Mathematics
Information and Communication Technology
Internet Mathematician was a free “teach yourself” tutorial on Internet information skills for mathematicians from the Intute: Virtual Training Suite. (The Intute site was closed in 2011)
Other Sites
Oundle School compiled a comprehensive list of creators of software and links to UK suppliers, and some of the best mathematics education sites worldwide.
Intute Mathematics Gateway provided all kinds of maths links, both UK and international. (The Intute site was closed in 2011)
Graph Paper Printer by Philippe Marquis (Shareware version)
Mathpuzzle.com for puzzles
Study Skills
Skills for Study is an Open University site that includes many resources for improving general study skills.
Mathematics Reading List
The following is a list of books that readers might have found useful to buy or borrow from a library (some might be out of print). Readers were encouraged to be selective, but to try to find ones that challenged their mathematical thinking.
Study Skills
Cottrell, S. (1999) The Study Skills Handbook, Macmillan Press Ltd, Basingstoke & London. This was a general guide to study skills with useful checklists.
Kahn, P. (2001) Studying Mathematics and its Applications, Palgrave, Wokingham. This book offered advice on how to study and apply complex mathematical ideas, with exercises and extension material.
Northedge, A., Thomas, J., Peasgood, A. (1997) The Sciences Good Study Guide, The Open University, Milton Keynes. This was a study guide for students of science, technology, and engineering, with a basic (sub A–level) mathematics help section.
Mathematics Revision
Abbott, P. (1996) Teach Yourself Algebra, Teach Yourself, London
Abbott, P., Neill, H. (1997) Teach Yourself Calculus, Teach Yourself, London
Abbott, P., Neill, H. (Ed) (1998) Teach Yourself Trigonometry, Teach Yourself, London
Graham, A. (1999) Teach Yourself Statistics, Teach Yourself, London
Graham, L., Sargent, D. (1981) Countdown to Mathematics Vol 1 and Vol 2, Addison–Wesley Publishers Ltd in association with Open University Press, Wokingham. Vol 1 covered arithmetic, simple algebra, graphs, and representing data; Vol 2 included algebra and trigonometry.
There had been plenty of other mathematics textbooks available; readers were advised to look in bookshops and libraries until they found one that suited their needs.
Wider mathematical reading
Acheson, D. (2002) 1089 and All That, Oxford University Press, Oxford. This was a small book of mathematical puzzles and other delights.
Barrow, J. D. (1993) Pi in the Sky: Counting, Thinking and Being, Penguin, London. The author discussed rival views of the origins and nature of mathematics.
Blastland, M. (2007) The Tiger That Isn’t, Profile Books, London. This book illustrated how to understand numbers in the media using many everyday examples.
Doxiadis, A. (2000) Uncle Petros and Goldbach’s Conjecture, Faber & Faber, London. Though a work of fiction, it told the story of the search for a solution to a famous problem and the possible pitfalls of a narrowly focused research project. It included humour, pathos, and mathematics.
Eastaway, R., & Wyndham, J. (1998) Why Do Buses Come in Threes?, Robson Books, London. This book showed practical uses for probability theory, Fibonacci series, matrices, Venn Diagrams, prime numbers, and more.
Eastaway, R., & Wyndham, J. (2002) How Long Is a Piece of String?, Robson Books, London. This was a continuation on the hidden mathematics of everyday life.
Flannery, S. (2000) In Code: A Mathematical Journey, Profile Books, London. This was a personal account of growing up in a mathematical household, written when the author was a teenager. It included problems with solutions and explanations
Guillen, M. (1995) Five Equations That Changed the World, Abacus, London. The book told the stories of five of the most important mathematicians and scientists and the background to their ‘world-changing’ equations.
Guedji, D. (1998) Numbers: The Universal Language, Thames & Hudson, London. A small book with good illustrations and excerpts from historic documents.
Hoffman, P. (1998) The Man Who Loved Only Numbers, Fourth Estate, London. The biography of Paul Erdös and his pursuit of mathematical truth.
Huntley, H. E. (1970) The Divine Proportion: A Study in Mathematical Beauty, Dover, New York. Topics were connected with the ‘Golden Section’ or ratio.
Ifrah, G. (1998) The Universal History of Numbers, The Harvill Press, London. This book explored the history of numbers and counting from pre-history to the computer age
Paulus, J. A. (1990) Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences, Penguin, London. It used real-world examples of innumeracy—stock scams, medical claims, risk perception, election statistics, and more
Peterson, I. (2001) The Mathematical Tourist: New and Updated Snapshots of Modern Mathematics, Palgrave, Basingstoke
Pólya, G. (1990) How to Solve It, Penguin, London. A classic text on mathematical problem solving, featuring a helpful foreword by Ian Stewart.
Salsburg, D. (2001) The Lady Tasting Tea, Henry Holt and Co., New York. The story of twentieth-century statistics.
Singh, S. (2000) The Code Book, Fourth Estate, London. A history of codes and ciphers and their modern applications in internet security.
Singh, S. (1998) Fermat’s Last Theorem, Fourth Estate, London. An account of Andrew Wiles’ proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem and the historical problems that intrigued mathematicians
Stewart, I. (1996) From Here to Infinity, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Stewart, I. (1997) Does God Play Dice?, Penguin, London. An introduction to chaos theory, discussing the mathematics behind fractals and other chaotic systems.
Stewart, I. (1998) The Magical Maze: Seeing the World Through Mathematical Eyes, Orion Paperback, London.
Stewart, I. (1998) Nature’s Numbers: Discovering Order and Pattern in the Universe, Orion Paperback, London.
Wilson, R. (2002) Four Colours: How the Map Problem Was Solved, Allen Lane Science. This book detailed the proof of the four-colour conjecture, finally achieved with the aid of a computer.
More challenging mathematical texts
Courant, R., & Robbins, H. (revised by Ian Stewart) (1996) What is Mathematics?, Oxford University Press, Oxford. This is a classic book, covering a broad spectrum of fundamental mathematical ideas. It has been updated to describe mathematical developments such as the proof of the Four Colour Theorem and Fermat’s Last Theorem.
Fauvel, J., & Gray, J. (1987) The History of Mathematics: A Reader, Macmillan Education with The Open University, Basingstoke. Readings from a wide variety of sources to show the nature and development of mathematics from the earliest time to the twentieth century.
Hogben, L. (1968) Mathematics for the Millions, The Merlin Press, London. Covered arithmetic to calculus, including exercises and problems
Gardner, M. (2001) The Colossal Book of Mathematics, Norton, New York & London. Number theory, algebra, geometry, probability, topology, game theory, infinity, and other recreational math topics.
Kuhn, H. W. (Ed) (2002) The Essential John Nash, Princeton University Press. Explains Nash’s work and reprints his most famous papers.
Simmons, G. F. (1991) Calculus Gems: Brief Lives and Memorable Mathematics, McGraw–Hill, Berkshire. This book includes brief lives of 33 important mathematicians. They are followed by 26 notes on significant moments in maths, from Pythagoras’ theorem to rocket propulsion.
Maths at The Open University
Maths Choices gives information about Open University Level One Mathematics courses including guidance on choosing suitable courses.
