An Introduction to Modern Mathematics

Please view / download a PDF sample of this book.

This important little book should be read by all students before they begin their studies of advanced courses, such as high-school geometry, algebra, trigonometry, and calculus. The reason is that there is no way to properly understand those more advanced branches of mathematics without first getting the mind straight about some very important prerequisite questions. Some of these are: What is mathematics? Why benefits accrue from studying it? What is mathematics fundamentally concerned with? What kinds of quantity does mathematics study? What is the difference between universal and particular truth? Does mathematics study the “real world”? What are magnitudes? What is the correct way to think about number? What are the major branches of mathematics, what is their history, and how do they differ from one another? The answers to these fundamental questions come primarily from the great minds Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas.

Recommended for grades 8, 9, or 10, but even if your student is beyond that, we urge you to have him read it. 45 pages.