“Take this quote from William Hamilton […]

We belong to opposite poles of algebra; since you… seem to consider Algebra as a ‘System of Signs and of their combinations,’ somewhat analogous to syllogisms expressed in letters; while I am never satisfied unless I think that I can look beyond or through the signs to the things signified.

You catch that? William Hamilton, who gave us our bizarro non-commutative generalization of the complex numbers, didn’t want algebra to be a science of symbols alone.
[…]
In brief: Algebra isn’t just hard for surly teens. It’s hard for anyone with an intellectual commitment to symbols having meanings.”

— Ben Orlin, What’s the use of math history?
https://mathwithbaddrawings.com/2024/11/19/whats-the-use-of-math-history/

#Maths #Mathematics #History

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