A joyful and intimate celebration of the beauty and creativity of algebra from one of the
foremost math educators of our time. For many of us algebra conjures up memories of dull
classes spent wondering when we'd ever have to solve a system of equations or factor a
polynomial. Indeed most of the time if we need to plan a budget or figure out how early to
leave the house for work common sense or a quick seat-of-the-pants approximation is good
enough. But as mathematician Paul Lockhart argues in The Mending of Broken Bones once we stop
thinking of algebra in terms of its practical applications we can appreciate it for the
beautiful and gratifying subject that it is. In his hands algebra is the delicate craft of
untangling numerical puzzles to reveal the hidden patterns and often surprising behaviors of
the numbers themselves. As Lockhart traverses numerical systems slips into and out of
higher-dimensional space and delights in the intimate connections between algebra and geometry
we come to see the discipline from his viewpoint: not as the mundane exercises of our school
years but instead as an art form whose beauty lies in its elegant simplicity. Written in
Lockhart's charming and conversational prose The Mending of Broken Bones is an impassioned and
deeply personal celebration of algebra that helps us experience the profound joys of
mathematical discovery.
