Today is Pi Day, a math holiday started in 1988 honoring the irrational number and mathematical constant at the core of understanding circles. March 14th was selected because of the first three digits of π – but mathematicians, of course, can develop even more finely tuned numeric symmetry. Most casual observers of π Day treat themselves to a piece of their favorite pie and discuss mathematics with their friends. But you’re undoubtedly reading this because you care about research. And the library is eager to help.
You might not think of using the library for math studies. After all, if you’re just doing equations and using formulae, what else would you need? But mathematics education benefits from research and scholarly critique as much as any other discipline, and we have plenty of tools for it. The database Wiley Online Library includes broad math coverage ranging from number theory to discrete equations, and ties it to other STEM fields. MathSciNet is another, including millions of records for articles and reviews of the mathematical sciences (but as it does not include full text, you may want to use it in tandem with interlibrary loan). Even a general database like JSTOR includes an exceptional math section – and because math is not affected by currency the way other disciplines are, everything there will be as valuable as the day it was published. Other tools like the Khan Academy offer videos useful equally to a student or an instructor looking for visual aids. And for practical mathematics, Math Medics is good for formulas, tables, conversions and more.
And, of course, books. From beginning texts like What is Mathematics, Really? by Reuben Hersh or Mathematics for the Curious by Peter Higgins to more advanced studies like Creative Mathematics by William Higginson or Fundamental Approach to Discrete Mathematics by D.J. Acharjya, with plenty of supplemental and critical titles like Math: Facing an American Phobia by Marilyn Burns or Spectrum: Beautiful Mathematics by Martin Erickson, the library has something for every facet of math research. So this year, celebrate π Day with more than a piece of pie!
Any questions? Ask us at iueref@iue.edu!