Educational Media Reviews Online

This National Science Foundation funded video does an excellent job in putting a human face on the world of mathematics. Designed to promote mathematics as a challenging and interesting career, interview segments with a diverse group of 18 mathematicians are interspersed with computer animations and analogies drawn especially from the visual arts. The producers are to be commended for including a number of women, minorities, and a range of age groups.

In the first segment, some of the mathematicians share what first intrigued them about mathematics, noting the encouragement they received from parents and teachers. Others overcame an early dislike or failure in mathematics to be captivated by math later in life. One of the interviewees even spent 10 years as a magician before starting his math career. The video then moves to a segment of what attracts them to math as a career: the freedom, the diversity, the universality of principles, the acceptance of eccentricities, and the opportunity to simply think.

Then begins a superb bird’s eye view of major fields in mathematics, including geometry and topology, number theory, proofs, and uncertainty (probability). Connections to the real world are made to illustrate the relevance of mathematics. Rather than providing a dry, intellectual review, one or two key examples in each field are briefly explored such as prime numbers in number theory. Though a few of the points may be lost on those with almost no background in math, the use of analogies, computer-generated landscapes, and rich use of visual arts will keep nearly any student engaged in the video.

The technical production aspects are excellent in every area. For any school or organization wishing to promote career choices in technical fields, this video would be a very useful acquisition. The video could be used as a basis for a discussion with students on technical careers and how science relates to everyday life.