tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49636069705377765182024-03-19T04:48:02.083-04:00Intersections -- Poetry with MathematicsMathematical language can heighten the imagery of a poem; mathematical structure can deepen its effect. Feast here on an international menu of poems made rich by mathematical ingredients . . . . . . . gathered by JoAnne Growney. JoAnne Growneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654717097635624079noreply@blogger.comBlogger1615125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4963606970537776518.post-55431622035592941292024-03-15T14:00:00.000-04:002024-03-15T14:00:52.533-04:00Discovery Tool -- Following a Pattern<p><span style="font-family: times;"> When I pick up a pen to write on a particular subject, often it is useful me to try to follow a pattern for rhymes or syllable-counts -- for the effort to conform to a pattern challenges me to think about my topic in new ways. In the history of poetry, rhyme-choices were frequent--yielding sonnets, villanelles <a href="https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-a-rhyme-scheme-learn-about-10-different-poetry-rhyme-schemes" target="_blank">and a variety of other forms</a>. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"> In recent years, online and printed versions of poems have become very accessible and the principle, "Rhymes help us remember" has become less of a focus in poetry. One of the popular connections between math and poetry has been the use of Fibonacci numbers to choose syllable counts; especially popular has been the FIB, a six-line stanza in which the syllable-counts are 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, and 8 -- the first six Fibonacci numbers. (Inventor of the FIB was <b><a href="http://www.gregpincus.com/" target="_blank">Greg Pincus,</a></b> and lots of information is provided <a href="https://poetrywithmathematics.blogspot.com/2010/04/poems-with-fibonacci-number-patterns.html" target="_blank">here in this 2010 blog posting, <b>Poems with Fibonacci number patterns</b>.</a>) <span></span></span></p><a href="https://poetrywithmathematics.blogspot.com/2024/03/discovery-tool-following-pattern.html#more">Read more »</a>JoAnne Growneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654717097635624079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4963606970537776518.post-9063017278715311772024-03-12T07:50:00.001-04:002024-03-13T15:49:42.698-04:00Celebrate Pi<p><span style="font-family: times;"> Soon it will be Pi-Day (3.14) and this year I again call your attention to a poem by one of my long-time favorite poets -- the poem <span style="font-size: medium;">"<b>Pi</b>"</span> by <b>Polish Nobel Prize-winning poet <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wis%C5%82awa_Szymborska" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: medium;">Wislawa Szymborska</span></a></b> (1923-2012). </span> <span style="font-family: times;">I offer a portion of the poem below (followed by a link to the complete poem).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-small;">from</span> <b><span style="font-size: medium;"> Pi </span></b> <span style="font-family: times;">by <b>Wiwlawa Szymborska </b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-small;"><span><b> </b></span>(translated from Polish by <a href="https://faculty.wcas.northwestern.edu/cac703/">Clare Cavanaugh</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanis%C5%82aw_Bara%C5%84czak" target="_blank">Stanislaw Baranczak</a> <span>(1946-2014)</span>).</span></p><p> The admirable number pi:<br /> <i>three point one four one<br /></i> All the following digits are also initial,<br /> <i>five nine two</i> because it never ends.<br /><span></span> It can’t be comprehended <i>six five three five</i> at a glance,<br /> <i>eight nine</i> by calculation,<br /> <i>seven nine</i> or imagination,<br /> not even <i>three two three eight by wit</i>, that is, by comparison<br /> <i>four six</i> to anything else<br /> <i>two six four three</i> in the world.<br /> The longest snake on earth call it quits at about forty feet.<br /> Likewise, snakes of myth and legend, though they may<br /> hold out a bit longer.<br /> The pageant of digits comprising the number pi<br /> doesn’t stop at the page’s edge. . . .<br /><b> . . . </b></p><p><span style="font-family: times;">The entire Szymborska-poem is may be found <a href="http://www.famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/wislawa_szymborska/poems/11682">here at the website "<b>Famous Poets and Poems</b></a>" and also <a href="https://joannegrowney.com/numbersandfaces.pdf" target="_blank">here in an online pdf</a> of the booklet <i style="font-weight: bold;">Numbers and Faces: A Collection of Poems with Mathematical Imagery</i> -- a collection that I edited on behalf of the <b>Humanistic Mathematics Network</b>.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><b><a href="https://poetrywithmathematics.blogspot.com/search?q=pi+" target="_blank">This link</a> connects to a list of previous blog-posts of Pi-related poems. </b></span></p>JoAnne Growneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654717097635624079noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4963606970537776518.post-77771540184150758492024-03-07T16:53:00.000-05:002024-03-07T16:53:43.263-05:00Celebrating Women who write Mathy Poems<p><span style="font-family: times;"> Now in March -- in <b>Women's History Month</b> -- many writers are taking a bit of extra time to explore the history and achievements of women. It was my delight to find a March 6 posting <a href="https://www.readpoetry.com/blog/" target="_blank">here on the Poetry Blogging Network</a> with a list of celebrated women in poetry that includes several writers of mathy poems. Of the ten poets listed, the following five have been included in this blog -- in earlier postings. For each, I include a mathy sample and the poet's name is linked to earlier postings that include their work.</span></p><p> <b> <a href="https://poetrywithmathematics.blogspot.com/search?q=Adrienne+Rich" target="_blank">Adrienne Rich</a></b> from <b><i><a href="https://poetrywithmathematics.blogspot.com/2012/09/an-instrument-in-shape-of-woman.html" target="_blank">Planetarium</a></i></b> </p><p><span> </span><span> </span><span> <span> </span></span>a woman ‘in the snow <br> <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>among the Clocks and instruments <br><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>or measuring the ground with poles </p><p><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>in her 98 years to discover <br><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>8 comets<span></span></p><a href="https://poetrywithmathematics.blogspot.com/2024/03/celebrating-women-who-write-mathy-poems.html#more">Read more »</a>JoAnne Growneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654717097635624079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4963606970537776518.post-11486676678907026372024-03-04T13:59:00.001-05:002024-03-04T13:59:31.507-05:00Multiple Meanings -- in Poetry, Math, and Jokes<p><span style="font-family: times;"> One of the challenging AND enriching qualities of both mathematics and poetry is the multiplicity of meanings that particular expressions may have. This quality also is found in jokes -- and in the Math Blog of <a href="https://math.mit.edu/directory/profile.html?pid=131" target="_blank">MIT math-scholar <b>Tanya Khovanova</b></a> I recently enjoyed some entertaining mathy riddle-jokes and below I offer a sample: </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqKLj823_0VBo0vkoZFeMoSA50TXlL9maJw8RRnFSJ4sMkSP3R5n2HGcYyOMc6wTXV8xYXGinP0cg59G9VYqHUTxOrS6y8U2WcDHocKp4pU3hsw9ndj9shKZqBEuu1EPSUlJiWf_ZsZ_NzqHXknkhkJnFGe7Mwzus5cCYfvv3jUGRcR9o9NTwbaUt7fNI/s656/Screenshot%202024-03-04%20111709.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="73" data-original-width="656" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqKLj823_0VBo0vkoZFeMoSA50TXlL9maJw8RRnFSJ4sMkSP3R5n2HGcYyOMc6wTXV8xYXGinP0cg59G9VYqHUTxOrS6y8U2WcDHocKp4pU3hsw9ndj9shKZqBEuu1EPSUlJiWf_ZsZ_NzqHXknkhkJnFGe7Mwzus5cCYfvv3jUGRcR9o9NTwbaUt7fNI/s320/Screenshot%202024-03-04%20111709.png" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK5ZuBMNBkqwjZSB7tVrcXnZ9NIUwaQnYIC4yFiRG0cHo4oleHez96eKOcf3Xiokf5MkA4kh2Uij7wxN7gzQ3BbD0R54ap4rsshbdHFaiqfSXPVxEEbFghPXphhz7GhS8NTITGvWl9QFA8foC2C2kzJAYFwS_qOX93j_jsMwCSmxiJg4J5fC0NFfFLJrA/s588/Screenshot%202024-03-04%20111822TK2.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="387" data-original-width="588" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK5ZuBMNBkqwjZSB7tVrcXnZ9NIUwaQnYIC4yFiRG0cHo4oleHez96eKOcf3Xiokf5MkA4kh2Uij7wxN7gzQ3BbD0R54ap4rsshbdHFaiqfSXPVxEEbFghPXphhz7GhS8NTITGvWl9QFA8foC2C2kzJAYFwS_qOX93j_jsMwCSmxiJg4J5fC0NFfFLJrA/w320-h211/Screenshot%202024-03-04%20111822TK2.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Here is </span><a href="https://blog.tanyakhovanova.com/2024/02/some-recent-jokes-added-to-my-collection/" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank">a link to Khovanova's complete blog-posting</a>. Enjoy!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="text-align: center;">For biographical and contact information for Khovanova, </span></b></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b style="font-family: times;"><a href="https://www.tanyakhovanova.com" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">here is a link to her webpag</a>e -- and here a</b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: times; text-align: center;"><b>s </b></span><b style="color: #444444; font-family: times; text-align: center;">a link to <a href="https://blog.tanyakhovanova.com/2009/05/nerdy-wedding/" target="_blank">her poem "Nerdy Wedding</a>" and, finally, <a href="https://poetrywithmathematics.blogspot.com/2022/10/math-jokes-and-other-mathy-applications.html" target="_blank">a link to an earlier posting of her work in this blog</a>.</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>JoAnne Growneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654717097635624079noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4963606970537776518.post-30961086007114143522024-02-27T14:42:00.000-05:002024-02-27T14:42:12.535-05:00A poem-title that drew me in -- "Calculus I, II, III"<p><span style="font-family: times;"> A poetry event that I often enjoy is the posting by the Academy of American Poets of a <b>poem-a-day</b> -- today's poem is found <a href="https://poets.org/poem-a-day" target="_blank">here</a> and information about the posting is found <a href="https://poets.org/poem-day-faq" target="_blank">here at Poets.org</a>. my background in mathematics helped me to be especially pleased early this month (on 2/2) when the daily poem (written by <a href="https://www.bradwalrond.com/" target="_blank">poet and artist B<b>rad Walrond</b></a><b>)</b> was entitled "<b>Calculus I, II, III</b>" -- and if offers reflection on different levels of learning. Below I offer a few lines from the poem; <a href="https://poets.org/poem/calculus-i-ii-iii" target="_blank">the complete poem is available at this link</a>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;">from </span> <b><span style="font-size: medium;">Calculus I, II, and III </span></b><span style="font-family: times;"> by Brad Walrond</span></p><p><b> . . . this calculus</b></p><p><b> —how one body<br /> relates to another—</b></p><p><b> that disturbs all the peace</b></p><p><b> is the same as learning<br /> their one two threes . . .</b></p><p style="text-align: right;"> <span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-small;"> <span style="text-align: right;">Copyright © 2024 by Brad Walrond. <b> <a href="https://poets.org/poem/calculus-i-ii-iii" target="_blank">Read more here</a>.</b></span></span></p>JoAnne Growneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654717097635624079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4963606970537776518.post-53278320841836494002024-02-23T13:53:00.002-05:002024-02-23T14:07:46.135-05:00Shaping poems with Pascal's Triangle<p><span style="font-family: times;"> One of my favorite websites to visit is "<b><a href="https://marianchristiepoetry.net" target="_blank">Poetry and Mathematics</a></b>" -- a blog from poet <b><a href="https://marianchristiepoetry.net/about-marian/" target="_blank">Marian Christie</a></b>. Today I focus on her posting of poems with word-lengths structured by Pascal's Triangle; here is a sample:</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHLQHoFsXKtbLkv0BQ-MgzuSFOmr6NK3WFqKHzOMQCiOsnEV26nrcVVuLzFcUtUfcM8S3oZKC5FVhV1gxGtAxwyXUhyYneOaco2XQ11K53uz9DvTEzlFDz67CVcGlq5a3LufGUv0M0BuLxAy5geQD2r9jv0yeKMxR31fiavtLxmaRJqaIPO_MgubEaoEg/s721/Screenshot%202024-02-23%20132725.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="306" data-original-width="721" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHLQHoFsXKtbLkv0BQ-MgzuSFOmr6NK3WFqKHzOMQCiOsnEV26nrcVVuLzFcUtUfcM8S3oZKC5FVhV1gxGtAxwyXUhyYneOaco2XQ11K53uz9DvTEzlFDz67CVcGlq5a3LufGUv0M0BuLxAy5geQD2r9jv0yeKMxR31fiavtLxmaRJqaIPO_MgubEaoEg/w400-h170/Screenshot%202024-02-23%20132725.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; text-align: left;">Christie's complete Pascal Triangle posting -- with a triangle for each season -- is available </span><a href="https://marianchristiepoetry.net/the-seasons-four-pascals-triangle-poems/" style="font-family: times; text-align: left;" target="_blank">at this link</a><span style="font-family: times; text-align: left;">. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; text-align: left;"> AND, <a href="https://poetrywithmathematics.blogspot.com/search?q=Marian+Christie" target="_blank">here is a link to previous connections to Christie and her work in this blog</a>.</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></div>JoAnne Growneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654717097635624079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4963606970537776518.post-36363378215755896572024-02-19T15:07:00.001-05:002024-02-19T15:07:13.873-05:00Mathematician, Poet -- Blind to the worth of Women<p><span style="font-family: times;"> As we study mathematics and learn of outstanding mathematicians, many of us do not also learn which of those mathematicians also were poets. A posting that I found recently in <a href="https://marianchristiepoetry.net/" target="_blank">Marian Christie's blog</a>, <b><a href="https://marianchristiepoetry.net/" target="_blank">Poetry and Mathematics</a></b>, features poetry by <a href="https://marianchristiepoetry.net/james-clerk-maxwell-physicist-and-poet/" target="_blank">Scottish physicist <b>James Clerk Maxwell</b></a> (1831-39).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"> Maxwell's verse also is featured in the math-poetry anthology, <i style="font-weight: bold;">Strange Attractors: Poems of Love and Mathematics</i> (A.K Peters, Ltd., 2008); <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Strange-Attractors-Poems-Love-Mathematics/dp/1568813414" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">preview available here at amazon.com</span></a>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"> Below I offer a stanza from a Maxwell poem (posted in this blog back in December, 2015) -- a stanza that shows the long-mistaken attitude that has existed about inferior abilities of math-women: <span></span></span></p><a href="https://poetrywithmathematics.blogspot.com/2024/02/mathematician-poet-blind-to-worth-of.html#more">Read more »</a>JoAnne Growneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654717097635624079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4963606970537776518.post-17246479641502092882024-02-15T20:26:00.001-05:002024-02-15T20:26:10.951-05:00Poems of Math -- from a teacher and his students<p><span style="font-family: times;"> Occasionally I <i><b>Google</b></i> the pair "mathematics, poetry" to see what a web search can find for me. Many of the sites found this way are familiar -- including this blog and poetry I have cited herein. But a few days ago I found a new site -- posted by the New England Literary Resource Center and featuring poems by a GED teacher <b>Phillip Howard </b>(<a href="https://www.boston.gov/departments/workforce-development/adult-literacy-initiative" target="_blank">at the Adult Literacy Center at Dorchester, MA</a>) and his students. Howard asks his students to write poems about math as a way of communicating their accomplishments and frustrations. Here is the poem that Howard offers his students; <a href="https://nelrc.org/managingstress/pdfs/lessons/Poems%20about%20Math.pdf" target="_blank">their responses are collected <b>here</b></a>. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> Me & Math </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></b></span> <span style="font-family: times;"> by <b><span>Phillip Howard</span></b></span></p><p><b> I have a problem … a math problem<br /> Math is always throwing problems at me<br /> I solve 1 and Boom Math throws a harder 1<br /> A Brain Buster … so I rage<br /> But I can’t GIVE UP MATH<br /> Math is in my blood … PROBLEMS CALL 2 ME<br /> I want 2 BREAK THE HABIT … but I can’t<br /> So I push MATH<br /> I push on the WEB<br /> I push on the STREETS<br /> I push in the CLASS<br /> I push MATH 2 YOU<br /> So YOU 2 have a MATH PROBLEM</b></p>JoAnne Growneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654717097635624079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4963606970537776518.post-19750821358247255172024-02-12T09:21:00.000-05:002024-02-12T09:21:07.788-05:00Math Poems for Students of All Ages<p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> In my recent use of Google -- in search of mathy poems -- I came across this website: <b><a href="https://www.weareteachers.com/math-poems-for-students" target="_blank">38 Math Poems for Students in All Grade Levels</a> </b>(a featured page at <a href="http://weareteachers.com">weareteachers.com</a>). It contains these words:</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">"<b>Poetry can transforms kids’ attitudes about math exponentially!</b>"</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Here's a sample.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFNmAMyGhjxTRukIUcis_nXtlghyZnp5gdE7_c-7ydH2TNjOkVa1l4OQ0p-ga6ymLBacUNmyrgNkKRzn03Yed8WuZ6FWCrgkqhf8M1fSUhmj8MfCwYsFWLnI_-ZKbSiv-AQzSwCDCU7It7XohB5EvjPJdRagtAGb5qK6Ysz3Q0HRLmRyvjhuKnIbmwgXw/s740/Screenshot%202024-02-09%20141258.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="721" data-original-width="740" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFNmAMyGhjxTRukIUcis_nXtlghyZnp5gdE7_c-7ydH2TNjOkVa1l4OQ0p-ga6ymLBacUNmyrgNkKRzn03Yed8WuZ6FWCrgkqhf8M1fSUhmj8MfCwYsFWLnI_-ZKbSiv-AQzSwCDCU7It7XohB5EvjPJdRagtAGb5qK6Ysz3Q0HRLmRyvjhuKnIbmwgXw/s320/Screenshot%202024-02-09%20141258.png" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><b>And<a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/rebecca-kai-dotlich" target="_blank"> here is a link</a> to more about poet Rebecca Kai Dotlich.</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><b><br /></b></span></p>JoAnne Growneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654717097635624079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4963606970537776518.post-25813965962440116312024-02-08T18:53:00.000-05:002024-02-08T18:53:42.568-05:00Rules that someone made up -- Is that MATH?<p><span style="font-family: times;"> As frequent readers of this blog know, I am indebted to many people for their contributions of poems -- their own and links to others. An alert to today's poem came from Canadian poet <b><a href="https://www.alicemajor.com/" target="_blank">Alice Major</a></b> -- <a href="https://poetrywithmathematics.blogspot.com/search?q=Alice+Major" target="_blank">with previous contibutions to this blog found <b>at this link</b></a><b>.</b> The poem, "<b>BOUNDARY CONDITIONS</b>" by Sneha Madhavan-Reese was published in the journal <i><a href="https://www.rattle.com/info/about-us/" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Rattle</a>. </i> I offer, below, its opening and closing stanzas, followed by a link to the complete poem.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-small;">from </span><b> <span style="font-size: medium;"> BOUNDARY CONDITIONS</span> </b> <span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">by </span><b>Sneha Madhavan-Reese</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;"> who but men blame the angels for the wild<br> exceptionalism of men? </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> —Sam Sax, “Anti-Zionist Abecedarian”</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b> Along the border of any governed region, there exists a value which must<br> satisfy its laws. This is a rule I learned for solving differential equations.<span></span></b></span></p><a href="https://poetrywithmathematics.blogspot.com/2024/02/rules-that-someone-made-up-is-that-math.html#more">Read more »</a>JoAnne Growneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654717097635624079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4963606970537776518.post-29442496616290720982024-02-05T14:05:00.000-05:002024-02-05T14:05:22.161-05:00Going to Mars -- film profile of poet Nikki Giovanni<p><span style="font-family: times;"> <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikki_Giovanni" target="_blank">Poet Nikki Giovanni</a></b> is someone I much admire -- for her poetry and for her activism -- and recently I had had a chance to see the documentary film "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Going_to_Mars:_The_Nikki_Giovanni_Project" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project</a>.<b>" </b>I valued learning more about Giovanni's life and was reminded to revisit her poetry. In her 1975 collection, <b><i>The Woman and the Men</i></b> (of which I have an autographed copy), I re-found her poem "The Way I Feel" and I offer below its mathy final stanza during this 2024 leap year. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-small;">from</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>THE WAY I FEEL</b></span> </span><span style="font-family: times;"> by <b>Nikki Giovanni</b></span></p><p> in my mind you're a clock<br /> and i'm the second hand sweeping<br /> around you sixty times an hour<br /> twenty-four hours a day<br /> three-hundred-sixty-five days a year<br /> and an extra day<br /> in leap year<br /> cause that's the way<br /> that's the way<br /> that's the way i feel<br /> about you</p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0688079474/nikkigiovanni-20" target="_blank"><b><i>The Women and the Men</i></b> </a>(William Morrow & Company, New York, 1975)</span></p> JoAnne Growneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654717097635624079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4963606970537776518.post-12782284818314499182024-02-02T09:58:00.000-05:002024-02-02T09:58:32.718-05:00Distance and Time<span style="font-family: times;"><span> </span><span> </span><b><a href="https://www.loc.gov/programs/poetry-and-literature/poet-laureate/poet-laureate-projects/poetry-180/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: medium;">Poetry 180</span></a></b> was a project initiated back in 2002 by the poet laureate <a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/billy-collins" target="_blank"><b>Billy Collins</b></a> -- a project with the goal of providing for students a thoughtful and accessible poem for each day of the school year. A recent email alerted me to a slightly mathy poem within that collection -- <b><a href="https://www.loc.gov/programs/poetry-and-literature/poet-laureate/poet-laureate-projects/poetry-180/all-poems/item/poetry-180-081/after-years/" target="_blank">Poem 081</a></b>, "After Years" by Iowa poet <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Kooser" target="_blank"><b>Ted Kooser</b></a> (also a former US poet laureate); I offer Kooser's poem below.</span><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxeogO7gA5etfFNhMyu1qnvj4CO0NnIQZJ6EFwepejdCbI5cjD0iHLft9B5pj-kU8q6bL3GFOyH_dkUDH0DGN0wxZCwAy07ohsoKq6FNbtG4axWB_KHKaahkbWNHy9KPKPC_xhC8AbEW5w_AkwCtH5fphBvSmchLzYC24aghpJ_upnnC2-PEk2xrc4XyE/s553/Screenshot%202024-01-29%20201053%20poem%2081.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="553" data-original-width="383" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxeogO7gA5etfFNhMyu1qnvj4CO0NnIQZJ6EFwepejdCbI5cjD0iHLft9B5pj-kU8q6bL3GFOyH_dkUDH0DGN0wxZCwAy07ohsoKq6FNbtG4axWB_KHKaahkbWNHy9KPKPC_xhC8AbEW5w_AkwCtH5fphBvSmchLzYC24aghpJ_upnnC2-PEk2xrc4XyE/w278-h400/Screenshot%202024-01-29%20201053%20poem%2081.png" width="278" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From <b><i><a href="https://solopress.org/about/" target="_blank">Solo</a>: A Journal of Poetry</i></b>, 1996.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-small;">Today, February 2, is Groundhog Day. <a href="https://poetrywithmathematics.blogspot.com/search?q=Groundhog+day" target="_blank">Celebrate the day with some poems</a>. </span></b></div>JoAnne Growneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654717097635624079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4963606970537776518.post-50956595481118848732024-01-29T21:00:00.000-05:002024-01-29T21:00:05.313-05:00Women in Math -- Don't Hide Them!!<p><span style="font-family: times;"> In the days and years since my schooling, the numbers of math-women have increased and their public recognition also has increased. But not enough! This <a href="https://abakcus.com/18-remarkable-women-in-stem/" target="_blank">list of 18 remarkable women in STEM</a> includes only one math-woman AND. here are several book-seller links to explore: </span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong><a href="https://penguinrandomhousehighereducation.com/book/?isbn=9780553446791" target="_blank">Headstrong: 52 Women Who Changed Science-and the World</a></strong><a href="https://abakcus.com/best-stem-books-for-kids/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"><strong><br></strong></a><a href="https://abakcus.com/30-remarkable-women-in-science-and-math/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"><strong>30 Remarkable Women in Science and Math</strong><br></a><strong><a href="https://abakcus.com/article/the-first-woman-in-space-valentina-tereshkova/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">The First Woman in Space: Valentina Tereshkova</a></strong><br><strong><a href="https://abakcus.com/greatest-mathematicians/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">20 Greatest Mathematicians: Masters of Mathematics from the Past, Present, Future</a></strong></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"> A very important math-influence in my life was my high school math teacher for my junior and senior years, <b>Laura Church</b>. Today, exploring the internet, searching for her name, I found only <a href="https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/199673655/laura-church" target="_blank">this memorial statement</a> and, although it tells of her teaching at Indiana Joint High School, it does not mention that her teaching-subject was math. Here is a stanza that celebrates her: <span></span></span></p><a href="https://poetrywithmathematics.blogspot.com/2024/01/women-in-math-dont-hide-them.html#more">Read more »</a>JoAnne Growneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654717097635624079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4963606970537776518.post-33128699579655467992024-01-25T13:39:00.001-05:002024-01-25T13:39:45.968-05:00Mathematical Wellness<p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b> As I read this poem, I was reminded of attitudes toward mathematics:</b></span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie-zujPDJssN2YIvJGcOzrLdOlMluuiviQtpAv_uKObzfhub2sAwbfUyLVMqG9r5V64r7SRLmcdr5IQn7DgMvpjjEWHVut2-awGIpIkFQUVeQXP6nt1r9RsB7l_FjepRVN031h1xTLolcPeXt4AGHui0p3En4RYqwyZENROvVPlFmpnSoMIUAFXeot/s452/poem-Singh-selfesteem.PNG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="416" data-original-width="452" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie-zujPDJssN2YIvJGcOzrLdOlMluuiviQtpAv_uKObzfhub2sAwbfUyLVMqG9r5V64r7SRLmcdr5IQn7DgMvpjjEWHVut2-awGIpIkFQUVeQXP6nt1r9RsB7l_FjepRVN031h1xTLolcPeXt4AGHui0p3En4RYqwyZENROvVPlFmpnSoMIUAFXeot/w320-h294/poem-Singh-selfesteem.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b>by <a href="https://www.amazon.com/sunil-singh/e/B0B3X5LX5R?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_3&qid=1661199871&sr=1-3" target="_blank">poet Sunil Singh</a>, from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Words-sunil-singh/dp/9356106533/ref=sr_1_3?crid=18U3ON8G0B1P7&keywords=sunil+singh+poetry&qid=1661198902&s=books&sprefix=sunil+singh+poetry%2Cstripbooks%2C39&sr=1-3&asin=9356106533&revisionId=&format=4&depth=1" target="_blank"><i>Words</i></a></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div> <p></p></div>JoAnne Growneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654717097635624079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4963606970537776518.post-27204071230228298912024-01-19T13:54:00.000-05:002024-01-19T13:54:18.824-05:00Films about math and math-people<p><span style="font-family: times;"><span> </span>One of my recent finds has been an article that offers <a href="https://www.yardbarker.com/entertainment/articles/20_films_about_math_mathematicians_and_math_geniuses_092123/s1__28630979#slide_1" target="_blank">a list of 20 films about math, mathematicians, and math-geniuses</a>. Eagerly, I opened the article to read about the films and to see which of them also involved poetry. ALAS, I did not find that these math-people connected with poetry. Following that non-find, I turned to a favorite source of mathy poems to discover something to post.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"> That favorite source is <i style="font-weight: bold;">Against Infinity</i>, edited by Ernest Robson and Jet Wimp (<a href="https://archive.org/details/againstinfinitya0000unse" target="_blank">Primary Press, 1979</a> and now out of print); this collection has been on my shelf for many years and is the first math-poetry anthology that I ever encountered. Here is a poem from that collection, written by a Missouri high school senior, Carol Clark.<span></span></span></p><a href="https://poetrywithmathematics.blogspot.com/2024/01/films-about-math-and-math-people.html#more">Read more »</a>JoAnne Growneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654717097635624079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4963606970537776518.post-38079546799562241492024-01-16T15:41:00.000-05:002024-01-16T15:41:19.224-05:00Poetry at the Joint Mathematics Meetings<p><span style="font-family: times;"> During January 4-7, 2024, mathematics meetings were held in San Francisco, CA. Although unable to attend, I have spent some time browsing abstracts of the presentations there and found several that involve poetry. <a href="https://www.umw.edu/directory/employee/suzanne-sumner/" target="_blank"><b>Suzanne Sumner</b> of the University of Mary Washington</a>, gave a presentation entitled "How Poetry Informs the History of Mathematics" and <a href="https://meetings.ams.org/math/jmm2024/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/29951" target="_blank">here is a link to the abstract for Sumner's presenation</a>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"> From Sumner's abstract I learn that the ancient Sanskrit scholar Acharya Pingala was likely to have been the first to use Fibonacci numbers and Pascal's triangle in his poetry. Using this blog's SEARCH feature, I found <a href="https://poetrywithmathematics.blogspot.com/search?q=Fibonacci" target="_blank">this link to prior mentions of Fibonacci in this blog</a> and <a href="https://poetrywithmathematics.blogspot.com/search?q=pascal" target="_blank">this link to mentions of Pascal</a>.<span></span></span></p><a href="https://poetrywithmathematics.blogspot.com/2024/01/poetry-at-joint-mathematics-meetings.html#more">Read more »</a>JoAnne Growneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654717097635624079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4963606970537776518.post-51603832856309187912024-01-12T11:41:00.002-05:002024-01-12T11:41:55.945-05:00A Mathy-Poetic Quote<p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> Recently my thoughts have turned often to these mathy-poetic words by <a href="https://www.victorborge.org/" target="_blank">Danish-American comedian-musician <b>Victor Borge </b></a>(1909-2000):</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Laughter is the<br /> shortest distance<br /> between two people.</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;">* * * *</p>JoAnne Growneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654717097635624079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4963606970537776518.post-71982227216258351672024-01-10T12:27:00.001-05:002024-01-10T12:27:35.307-05:00Thinking with my fingers . . .<p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Writing, to me, is simply thinking through my fingers.</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><b>Isaac Asimov</b> (1920-1992)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;">This quote from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Asimov" target="_blank">science fiction writer Isaac Asimov</a> is <a href="https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/isaac_asimov_382193" target="_blank">found here</a> along with other related views. For me also -- with poetry or math or some other subject -- writing is an important thinking strategy: my fingers with my pen lead me to new ideas. And counting syllables shapes my words like this:</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b> I<br class="MsoNormal" />start with<o:p></o:p><br class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" />just a few<br /> words -- and write them --<br /> AND my fingers help<br /> to develop my thoughts.</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p></p><p></p>JoAnne Growneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654717097635624079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4963606970537776518.post-1689577197237295522024-01-06T11:23:00.003-05:002024-01-07T10:18:00.268-05:00Many accessible MATHY POEMS -- from BRIDGES<p> One of the wonderful supporters of <b>connections between mathematics and the arts</b> has been <span style="font-size: medium;"><b>BRIDGES</b></span>, a conference-gathering that was initiated by <a href="https://www.bridgesmathart.org/reza-sarhangi/" target="_blank">Reza Sarhanghi</a> (1952-2016) in 1998. </p><p> <a href="https://www.bridgesmathart.org/" target="_blank"><b>Here, at the BRIDGES website</b></a>, one may find information about the upcoming 2024 conference. This website also offers -- <a href="https://archive.bridgesmathart.org/#gsc.tab=0" target="_blank">via the link <b>Papers Archive</b></a><b> </b>-- access to conference papers from 1998 to 2023. </p><p> Poetry became part of the conference in 2011 and, <a href="https://www2.math.uconn.edu/~glaz/Mathematical_Poetry_at_Bridges/index.html" target="_blank">at the link <b>Mathematical Poetry</b></a>, we are taken to a website maintained by math-poet <b><a href="https://www2.math.uconn.edu/~glaz/" target="_blank">Sarah Glaz</a></b> -- a website that offers access to a vast and wonderful collection of poems, anthologies, recordings, videos, . . .</p><p> Below I include an anthology sample, a very fine poem by <b><a href="http://www.deannanikaido.com/index_poetry.html">Deanna Nikaido</a></b> from the <b><i><a href="https://www2.math.uconn.edu/%7Eglaz/Bridges_2018_Poetry_Anthology/index.html" target="_blank">Bridges Stockholm 2018 Anthology</a>.</i></b></p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;"> Ratio </span></b> <span style="font-family: times;">by <b>Deanna Nikaido</b></span></p><p> They say there are two sides to everything. <span></span></p><a href="https://poetrywithmathematics.blogspot.com/2024/01/many-accessible-mathy-poems-from-bridges.html#more">Read more »</a>JoAnne Growneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654717097635624079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4963606970537776518.post-29945450686220908532024-01-02T16:29:00.000-05:002024-01-02T16:29:34.978-05:00Student Contests -- Essays, Poems -- Due by Feb. 1<p><b><span style="font-size: medium;"> STUDENTS – Middle School, High School, College</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span> <span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> </span></span><span style="color: #cc0000;">Write a Mathy POEM</span></span></b><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"> <span> </span><b> </b><b>OR</b><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span> </span><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span> </span>Interview a Math-Woman, write an ESSAY about her</span></span></b><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: times;">Entries are being accepted now – and <span style="color: #cc0000;">up to FEBRUARY 1, 2024</span>.</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; text-align: right;">Information about the </span><b style="font-family: times; text-align: right;">MATH-POETRY </b><span style="font-family: times; text-align: right;">competition</span><span style="font-family: times; mso-spacerun: yes; text-align: right;"> </span><span style="font-family: times; text-align: right; text-indent: 0.5in;">is <a href="http://www.ams.org/programs/students/math-poetry" target="_blank">available here</a>.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">Information about the </span><b style="font-family: times;">MATH-WOMAN ESSAY CONTEST</b><span style="font-family: times;"> </span><span style="font-family: times; text-indent: 0.5in;">is <a href="https://awm-math.org/awards/student-essay-contest/" target="_blank">available here</a>.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></p>JoAnne Growneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654717097635624079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4963606970537776518.post-91521482542984530202023-12-30T13:12:00.000-05:002023-12-30T13:12:52.955-05:00The true spirit of delight . . .<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><b>As the year ends, remembering an important truth . . .</b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b> The true spirit of delight, the exultation,</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>the sense of being more than man,</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>which is the touchstone of the highest excellence,</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>is to be found in mathematics as surely as in poetry.</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: times;"><b><a href="https://mathshistory.st-andrews.ac.uk/Biographies/Russell/" target="_blank">Bertrand Russell</a> (1972-1970)</b></span></p>JoAnne Growneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654717097635624079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4963606970537776518.post-77043495924521547962023-12-27T11:33:00.000-05:002023-12-27T11:33:34.965-05:00A Christmas-tree poem<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">As I enjoy the brightness that Christmas tree lights bring to a grey day, I am reminded of the following poem by<a href="https://brianbilston.com/about-brian-bilston/" target="_blank"> Brian Bilston</a>, found on Twitter (X) early in December:</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMcUoymYOUV7lPsrwbpgF5fox8MQHsQxuhqaHuiPpiAVNBr0TKXwIt0uGg6c19N17vknaztrp9tM_r1i9dj7XbHiErKdu1MjWZLHMYEoD_Pw7W3AwOn9lmETmdG9G-qtdx4n8t49IJxrbIBpWGjYPyzdbn1cupBQj9Ja_GAdZMe6pIV5WLRGQWZjv9AMU/s643/Screenshot%202023-12-11%20124812%20-%20Bilston.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="643" data-original-width="450" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMcUoymYOUV7lPsrwbpgF5fox8MQHsQxuhqaHuiPpiAVNBr0TKXwIt0uGg6c19N17vknaztrp9tM_r1i9dj7XbHiErKdu1MjWZLHMYEoD_Pw7W3AwOn9lmETmdG9G-qtdx4n8t49IJxrbIBpWGjYPyzdbn1cupBQj9Ja_GAdZMe6pIV5WLRGQWZjv9AMU/w280-h400/Screenshot%202023-12-11%20124812%20-%20Bilston.png" width="280" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-small;"><b>Previous mentions of Brian Bilston in this blog <a href="https://poetrywithmathematics.blogspot.com/search?q=Brian+Bilston" target="_blank">may be found at this link</a>.</b></span></p>JoAnne Growneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654717097635624079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4963606970537776518.post-15470488415392275282023-12-21T12:23:00.003-05:002023-12-21T12:23:57.152-05:00Counting on Christmas . . .<p><span style="font-family: times;"> One of my favorite memories of Christmas when I was a child involves recitation -- with family or classmates -- of this holiday rhyme, "<b>The Twelve Days of Christmas.</b>" I include a few lines below, and a <a href="https://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/66/counting-and-math-rhymes/4992/the-twelve-days-of-christmas/" target="_blank">here is a link to the entire poem</a>:</span></p><p> On the first day of Christmas,<br /> my true love sent to me<br /> A partridge in a pear tree.</p><p> On the second day of Christmas,<br /> my true love sent to me<br /> Two turtle doves,<br /> And a partridge in a pear tree.</p><p> On the third day of Christmas,<br /> my true love sent to me<br /> Three French hens,<br /> Two turtle doves,<br /> And a partridge in a pear tree.</p><p> On the fourth day of Christmas,<br /> my true love sent to me<br /> Four calling birds,<br /> Three French hens,<br /> Two turtle doves,<br /> And a partridge in a pear tree. <br /> . . . <span style="font-family: times;"> Read more <a href="https://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/66/counting-and-math-rhymes/4992/the-twelve-days-of-christmas/" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></p>JoAnne Growneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654717097635624079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4963606970537776518.post-3627933525388987692023-12-18T19:04:00.002-05:002023-12-18T19:13:20.784-05:00Explore a new idea by writing a poem . . .<p><span style="font-family: times;"> Often I try to unravel the intricacies of a new idea by writing -- using communication with my fingers as steps toward understanding. And when I found the poem below (<a br="" href="https://www.vianegativa.us/2021/02/every-line-intersects-the-line-at-infinity-at-some-point/">here at the website <b>VIA NEGATIVA</b>)</a> I saw it also as a poem of discovery -- and I offer it to you:</span></p><p><b>Every Line Intersects the Line<br> at Infinity at Some Point<span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-small;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: times; text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">by</span><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><a href="https://www.luisaigloria.com/" target="_blank">Luisa A. Igloria</a></b></span></p><p></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-small;">"Out of nothing I have created a strange new universe." - János Bolyai (1802-1860)</span></p><p>The optometrist asks you to look into <br>the autorefractor: two dark lines form </p><p>a road that stretches from where you sit<br>to a red barn at the horizon. If your brain </p><p>tells you that you're looking at a point <br>at infinity rather than just mere inches away, </p><p>it helps the eyes focus. Things have to end <br>somewhere, don't they? In projective geometry, <span></span></p><a href="https://poetrywithmathematics.blogspot.com/2023/12/explore-new-idea-by-writing-poem.html#more">Read more »</a>JoAnne Growneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654717097635624079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4963606970537776518.post-80167795147073484352023-12-11T18:48:00.001-05:002023-12-11T18:48:46.820-05:00Stories of Women and Girls in Science<p><span style="font-family: times;">The website for </span><b style="font-family: times;">Agnes Scott College</b><span style="font-family: times;"> has </span><a href="https://mathwomen.agnesscott.org/women/women.htm" style="font-family: times;" target="_blank">a wonderful collection of biographies of math women</a><span style="font-family: times;"> -- and today I focus particularly on </span><a href="https://mathwomen.agnesscott.org/women/germain.htm" style="font-family: times;" target="_blank">the story of mathematician Marie-Sophie Germain (1776-1831)</a><span style="font-family: times;">. I quote below a few words about Germain:</span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-small;"><b>Sophie began teaching herself mathematics using the books in her
father's library. Her parents felt that her interest was inappropriate
for a female (the common belief of the middle-class in the 19th century)
and did all that they could to discourage her. </b></span></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: times;">Related to the idea expressed in this quote is a thoughtful poem about Germain by <a href="https://www.pw.org/directory/writers/jessy_randall" target="_blank">Colorado poet Jessy Randall</a>; the poem is part of Randall's very special collection <a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/9781913380489/mathematics-for-ladies/" target="_blank"><i>Mathematics for Ladies, </i>Goldsmiths Press, 2022</a> and I offer it below:<span></span></span></p><a href="https://poetrywithmathematics.blogspot.com/2023/12/stories-of-women-and-girls-in-science.html#more">Read more »</a>JoAnne Growneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654717097635624079noreply@blogger.com0