Symbols and Meanings in School Mathematics

Symbols and Meanings in School Mathematicsexplores the various uses and aspects of symbols in school mathematics and also examines the notion of mathematical meaning. It is concerned with the power of language which enables us to do mathematics, giving us the ability to name and rename, to transform names and to use names and description to conjure, communicate and control our images. It is in the interplay between language, image and object that mathematics is created and can be communicated to others. One theme which runs throughout the book is the core metaphor of manipulation. Practical apparatus is known as manipulatives, some recent computer software is called symbolic manipulators, and we are taught to manipulate numbers, algebraic expressions and geometric figures and images. The book also addresses a set of questions of particular relevance to the last decade of the twentieth century, which arise due to the proliferation of machines offering mathematicalfunctioning.