Dr. Loh’s method allows people to calculate the answers without remembering the exact formula. “Math is not about memorizing formulas without meaning, but rather about learning how to reason logically through precise statements,” Dr. Loh said. It was only later that people came up with the concepts of negative numbers, zero and even more esoteric concepts like imaginary numbers — the square roots of negative numbers. An article by Mr. Savage in the journal The Mathematics Teacher in 1989 laid out almost the same procedure, although Dr. Loh filled in some nuances of logic in explaining why it works. “I honestly can’t remember exactly where the eureka moment was,” Mr. Savage said in a phone interview.

Source: New York Times February 05, 2020 15:06 UTC