Much of modern algebra arose from attempts to prove Fermat's Last Theorem, which in turn has its roots in Diophantus' classification of Pythagorean triples. This book, designed for prospective and practising mathematics teachers, makes explicit connections between the ideas of abstract algebra and the mathematics taught at high-school level. Algebraic concepts are presented in historical order, and the book also demonstrates how other important themes in algebra arose from questions related to teaching. The focus is on number theory, polynomials, and commutative rings. Group theory is...

Designed for precollege teachers by a collaborative of teachers, educators, and mathematicians, Famous Functions in Number Theory is based on a course offered in the Summer School Teacher Program at the Park City Mathematics Institute. But this book isn't a ``course'' in the traditional sense. It consists of a carefully sequenced collection of problem sets designed to develop several interconnected mathematical themes, and one of the goals of the problem sets is for readers to uncover these themes for themselves. Famous Functions in Number Theory introduces readers to the use of formal...

Designed for precollege teachers by a collaborative of teachers, educators, and mathematicians, Probability through Algebra is based on a course offered in the Summer School Teacher Program at the Park City Mathematics Institute. But this book isn't a ``course'' in the traditional sense. It consists of a carefully sequenced collection of problem sets designed to develop several interconnected mathematical themes, and one of the goals of the problem sets is for readers to uncover these themes for themselves. The specific themes developed in Probability through Algebra introduce readers to the...

Designed for precollege teachers by a collaborative of teachers, educators, and mathematicians, Moving Things Around is based on a course offered in the Summer School Teacher Program at the Park City Mathematics Institute. But this book isn't a ``course'' in the traditional sense. It consists of a carefully sequenced collection of problem sets designed to develop several interconnected mathematical themes, and one of the goals of the problem sets is for readers to uncover these themes for themselves. The goal of Moving Things Around is to help participants make what might seem to be...

Designed for precollege teachers by a collaborative of teachers, educators, and mathematicians, Some Applications of Geometric Thinking is based on a course offered in the Summer School Teacher Program at the Park City Mathematics Institute. But this book isn't a ``course'' in the traditional sense. It consists of a carefully sequenced collection of problem sets designed to develop several interconnected mathematical themes, and one of the goals of the problem sets is for readers to uncover these themes for themselves. The goal of Some Applications of Geometric Thinking is to help teachers...