Geometry in focus - Resources Blog

Geometry in focus

The current Coronavirus crisis is on everyone’s minds. For our first Resources Blog we therefore start with the Geometry of viruses, and following this, the history of geometry. But before we get to the links and resources, advice on how to use this Resource Blog posts:

1. Each of the Resources posts will have a theme. The first link is therefore on this theme and may not necessarily contain historical material, but will certainly have some mathematics in it.
2.  
3. The links and resources we recommend will be labeled in terms of difficulty and/or appropriateness. We have three labels
4. Level 3 – above the ages of 16 
5. Level 2 – secondary age children
6. Level 1 – primary age children

These blogs are not advertisement for our members’ books, however at the end of each of these posts there will be recommended book(s) that may increase your enjoyment and knowledge on the theme in question.

We hope you enjoy this, the first of the posts. Let us know what you think Education Officer Dr Snezana Lawrence.

Geometry a New Weapon in the Fight Against Viruses

Label: level 3

https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/geometry-a-new-weapon-in-the-fight-against-viruses

History of Geometry – Euclid

Level 2, 3

See more about the history of geometry, and in particular the geometry of Euclid.

https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/euclid, Professor Robin Wilson's lecture on Euclid and his most famous book.

A radio programme from Melvin Bragg’s famous series can be heard here https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07881kn.

Or, if you really want to get stuck into mathematics yourself, you can read some of the Elements from an online version here with the interactive diagrams: https://mathcs.clarku.edu/~djoyce/java/elements/elements.html .

History of Geometry – Platonic solids

Level 2, 3

Platonic solids – history: https://math.dartmouth.edu/~matc/math5.geometry/unit6/unit6.html

Platonic solids – hands-on exploration

Level 1, 2

A regular polyhedra in 3 dimensions for the primary and secondary school children – a few things to make and think about. Download bookpolyhedra.pdf.

Mathematicians and mathematics from the history of geometry

Level 2, 3

A New Year’s Present from a Mathematician, by Snezana Lawrence

Excursions in Geometry, by C.Stanley Ogilvy

Polyhedron Models by Magnus Wenninger 

We hope you enjoy this blog and the resources which we suggested. See you in two weeks time with more things to learn from the history of mathematics!