Harmony of the World：75 Years of Mathematics Magazine

In its early years, Mathematics Magazine included a "Teacher's Department," "Notes and News Department," "Book Review Department," "Problem Department," and "Humanism and History of Mathematics Department." Based on the selections presented by the editors of this volume (of Santa Clara U.), taken from the first 75 years of the magazine, it has maintained this broad focus on high school to graduate level mathematics up until the present time. The 37 pieces collected are presented in chronological order and include straight discussion of mathematical problems and proofs, biographical accounts of such figures as Leonhard Euler and Hypatia of Alexandria, a humorous piece "proving" the variability of pi over time, discussion of the centrality of mathematics in the history of Western thought, advice on how to teach mathematics in the classroom, and other varied materials. Annotation c2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Gerald L. Alexanderson grew up in Northern California and except for undergraduate years at the University of Oregon and short assignments in Illinois and Switzerland, has spent his life there. After graduate school at Stanford University, he joined the faculty at Santa Clara University where he is in his 50th year of teaching. He served as department chair for 35 years and holds the Valeriote Professorship in Science. From 1986 to 1990 he was editor of Mathematics Magazine, having served between 1984- and 1986 as First Vice President in 1997-99. By the most recent count he has served on 64 MAA committees or editorial boards and may hold a near record tenure of the MAA Board of Governors, 24 years. Active in various other professional societies, he was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Senate for 12 years. In 2005 the MAA awarded him both the Deborah and Franklin Tepper Haimo Award for Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics and the Yueh-Gin Gung and Dr. Charles Y. Hu Award for Distinguished Service to Mathematics. In addition to articles in professional journals he has written, coauthored or coedited the following books: Functional Trigonometry, A First Undergraduate Course in Abstract Algebra, Mathematical People, the Santa Clara Silver Anniversary Problem Book, The William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competitions: Problems and Solutions 1965-1984, International Mathematical Congress: An Illustrated History, Discrete and Combinatorial Mathematics, The Polya Picture Album, More Mathematical People, Lion Hunting and Other Mathematical Pursuits, and The Random Walks of George Polya. Peter Ross was raised in the Midwest (born in Evanston, Illinois and attended high school in Madison, Wisconsin), but attended colleges on both coasts. After getting a BS from MIT and an MA from the University of California at Berkeley, he taught mathematics and physics in India as a Peace Corps Volunteer from 1963 to 1965. With several more interludes of working for the government on “new math,” he eventually completed his PhD at Berkeley the day after his 40th birthday, and has taught in universities since then. Peter has been at Santa Clara University since 1982, teaching mathematics and some computer science. He has been active in the Mathematical Association of America, including writing Media Highlights and book reviews for the College Mathematics Journal since 1985. His hobbies include music, as a choral singer, and bicycle-commuting to work in San Jose, the tenth largest city in the country. He has worked with the Sierra Club on eleven “service trips” in locations as diverse as Siberia, the Yukon, Mount Whitney, and Death Valley.