A Mathematician Comes of Age (Spectrum)

This book is about the concept of mathematical maturity. Mathematical maturity is central to a mathematics education. The goal of a mathematics education is to transform the student from someone who treats mathematical ideas empirically and intuitively to someone who treats mathematical ideas analytically and can control and manipulate them effectively.

Put more directly, a mathematically mature person is one who can read, analyze, and evaluate proofs. And, most significantly, he/she is one who can create proofs. For this is what modern mathematics is all about: coming up with new ideas and validating them with proofs.

The book provides background, data, and analysis for understanding the concept of mathematical maturity. It turns the idea of mathematical maturity from a topic for coffee-room conversation to a topic for analysis and serious consideration.