MATHEMATICS IN ARCHITECTURE, ART, NATURE, AND BEYOND

There is little opportunity in classrooms today for teachers to explore the amazing applications of mathematics outside the curriculum. This book is intended to show how mathematics manifests itself in areas that most people are unaware of. One can even revel in the history of how our number system evolved and how that has enabled us to define the beauty in mathematics as well as in art, architecture, nature, and beyond.

The first two chapters of this book introduce the Fibonacci numbers and investigate their amazing relationships and applications in our general environment. The following four chapters focus on the Golden Ratio and the Golden Rectangle, exploring how they manifest all around us, often hiding in plain sight: in everything from architectural wonders such as the Taj Mahal to coin design, and from Greek vases to petal formation. We conclude our enjoyable journey through these mathematical wonders by considering conic sections and how they explain many aspects of everyday life, such as radar dishes, headlight reflectors, and whispering halls. This exposure to aspects of mathematics that are usually bypassed in the school curriculum will provide high school students, teachers, and general readers with an opportunity to truly appreciate the power and beauty of mathematics.

Alfred S Posamentier is currently a Distinguished Lecturer at New York City College of Technology, the City University of New York. Previously, he was the Executive Director for Internationalization and Sponsored Programs at Long Island University, New York. This was preceded by a five-year period where he was Dean of the School of Education and tenured Professor of Mathematics Education at Mercy College, New York. He is now also Professor Emeritus of Mathematics Education at the City College of the City University of New York, and former Dean of the School of Education, where he was tenured for 40 years. He is the author and co-author of more than 80 mathematics books for teachers, secondary and elementary school students, and the general readership.

Günter J Maresch is currently an Associate Professor of Mathematics Education and Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Digital and Analytical Sciences at the University of Salzburg, Austria. Following his Master's degree in 1994, he became a teacher of mathematics, descriptive geometry, and information and communication technology (ICT) at secondary schools in the province of Salzburg, Austria, and was a lecturer at the University of Salzburg from 1998 to 2014. From 1998 to 2007, Dr Maresch was the Teachers' Mentor for teachers of descriptive geometry, mathematics, and ICT in the province of Salzburg. He completed his PhD studies at the University of Salzburg in 2004. From 2007 to 2012, Dr Maresch was a member of the local education management board and the head of the institute for lifelong learning for upper secondary schools at the Salzburg University College of Teacher Education. Since 2002, he has been a member of the curriculum board of the Austrian Ministry of Education. From 2014 to 2016, he was an Assistant Professor for Mathematics Education and Geometry at the University of Salzburg. He continues to provide professional programs in many countries and has published more than 100 research papers and 20 books for students, researchers and teachers of mathematics, and books on geometry for the general readership.