Resources related to writing mathematics
Here are some
resources related to mathematical exposition of the sort that is
involved in the senior paper.
- Steve Kleiman's absolutely excellent short essay "Writing a
Math Phase Two Paper" lucidly describes the kind of writing
that we are looking for. It has many clear examples of what to do
and what not to do in writing a short expository math paper. You
may want to skip section 1, which deals with details of the MIT
writing requirements. However the rest of the essay, especially
sections 4 and 5, are directly relevant to our papers and should be
carefully read by every student in math 97.
- J. J. Price's
"Learning Mathematics Through Writing" is also excellent. It is
even shorter, but focuses on homework set sized writing rather than
on short expository papers.
- I've also put Steve Maurer's book length manuscript on
mathematical writing for undergraduates on reserve in the library.
If you want your own copy of this manuscript, you should email
Professor Maurer.