Julie Fowlkes' Assignment 2
Assignment 2
Julie Fowlkes
For this assignment I have decided to look at chapter 3 of A Primer of Mathematical Writing which is titled "Exposition". As the title suggests, it is an overview of expository writing in mathematics. It covers two types of expository pieces primarily: expository articles and opinion pieces. The general overview given by the book was an argument for the proper way to write expository articles, and the defense of value of expository writing about Mathematics. Although research papers are undoubtedly valuable to the field of Mathematics, the author states that expository math is useful in influencing collaboration between different fields, and is a method of presentation for readers who may not have prior interest in the subject at hand. This means that for expository writing there is an expectation for a mix of mathematical detail and explanation without explicit proof. The imagery of possible readers of expository articles being people at home reading for leisure is an excellent way of showing the goal of exposition.
The first form of expository writing the author covers expository articles. What exactly is an expository article? Another name that the author provides for this form of writing are survey articles. It is a writing that gives the reader a general idea of the topic without boring them with the fine details. A primary difficulty of writing an expository article is that one may not hide behind heavily detailed proofs, they instead must search for a compelling retelling of the history and growth of what they are sharing with their reader. They must make sure they are not giving a monotonous description of a series of events in the history of a subject the casual reader would struggle to follow but instead are providing a thrilling tale that ends with a picture of the possible future of the field or its applications.
The other form the author writes about are opinion pieces. While opinions cannot themselves be incorrect, opinion pieces can be written incorrectly. An opinion piece should not be written with with purely anecdotal arguments, but a purely factual recitation of dry studies can also lack impact on a more casual reader. No, a good opinion piece makes a point to show that the position has evidence or logic backing it but also grabs the attention of the reader. Also there is a risk with opinion pieces that the first intuition is not always the correct one, so one must eventual have their opinion overturned by the facts.
The first form of expository writing the author covers expository articles. What exactly is an expository article? Another name that the author provides for this form of writing are survey articles. It is a writing that gives the reader a general idea of the topic without boring them with the fine details. A primary difficulty of writing an expository article is that one may not hide behind heavily detailed proofs, they instead must search for a compelling retelling of the history and growth of what they are sharing with their reader. They must make sure they are not giving a monotonous description of a series of events in the history of a subject the casual reader would struggle to follow but instead are providing a thrilling tale that ends with a picture of the possible future of the field or its applications.
The other form the author writes about are opinion pieces. While opinions cannot themselves be incorrect, opinion pieces can be written incorrectly. An opinion piece should not be written with with purely anecdotal arguments, but a purely factual recitation of dry studies can also lack impact on a more casual reader. No, a good opinion piece makes a point to show that the position has evidence or logic backing it but also grabs the attention of the reader. Also there is a risk with opinion pieces that the first intuition is not always the correct one, so one must eventual have their opinion overturned by the facts.
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