Assignment 2 - Ethan Reed
Review of Chapter 3
I read Chapter 3, which was about expository writing. A major emphasis emphasis of the chapter was on the importance of evaluating what the intended audience of the writing was, whether it would be for trained mathematicians, undergraduates, or a more general audience. This is especially important for mathematical writing, as one can unintentionally make the content too technical. Regardless of the intended audience, the usual purpose of expository writing in mathematics is to increase interest in a particular topic.
The chapter also talks about several strategies to keep the attention of the reader during an expository piece. Outlining the steps of a major proof, highlighting common techniques, and perhaps proving a lemma are all fairly common. However, going through the technical details of a long proof should be discouraged. Another approach is to go through the history of a specific field. This can be followed by speculation on how the field can evolve in the future. When surveying a field, an extensive bibliography is also a must, so that readers can learn more about specific topics mentioned in the article. Prefaces are also of particular importance, as they set the context of what the expository articles will cover and what the appropriate audience is.
Something I found unusual when reading this chapter was the author's reasoning as to why a draft of a survey of a field should be sent to as many people as possible within the field. Apparently, people are quite easily offended if their results or contributions are left out of a survey of their field, particularly when they feel their results are of great importance.
I read Chapter 3, which was about expository writing. A major emphasis emphasis of the chapter was on the importance of evaluating what the intended audience of the writing was, whether it would be for trained mathematicians, undergraduates, or a more general audience. This is especially important for mathematical writing, as one can unintentionally make the content too technical. Regardless of the intended audience, the usual purpose of expository writing in mathematics is to increase interest in a particular topic.
The chapter also talks about several strategies to keep the attention of the reader during an expository piece. Outlining the steps of a major proof, highlighting common techniques, and perhaps proving a lemma are all fairly common. However, going through the technical details of a long proof should be discouraged. Another approach is to go through the history of a specific field. This can be followed by speculation on how the field can evolve in the future. When surveying a field, an extensive bibliography is also a must, so that readers can learn more about specific topics mentioned in the article. Prefaces are also of particular importance, as they set the context of what the expository articles will cover and what the appropriate audience is.
Something I found unusual when reading this chapter was the author's reasoning as to why a draft of a survey of a field should be sent to as many people as possible within the field. Apparently, people are quite easily offended if their results or contributions are left out of a survey of their field, particularly when they feel their results are of great importance.
Comments
Post a Comment