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Association of Teachers of Mathematics
Proof in elementary geometry: making sense of mathematics
This book will interest all those who are concerned with the current state of geometry in school. The concept of proof is a vital part of what mathematics is all about. In this book, the author claims that 'seeing is believing' and using powerful images to provide convincing reasons for the truth of many theorems in geometry. Students are more concerned with memorising proof rather than being convinced by them. Using a 'tracing' on top of a 'diagram' we can often show clearly the truth of assertion. In other words: we can prove it.
There is a profound ambivalence about the issue of proof in mathematics in general, and about proof in geometry in particular. Many of us remember having first met proofs with an injunction to 'learn this off by heart' and whether or not we understood and appreciated them seemed far less important in the eyes of the teacher than that we knew them. In this booklet, persuasive words and pictures are used to put the case, rather than strict logical arguments. The aim is to convince, rather than to prove.
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