– Arthur T. Benjamin, a professor of mathematics at Harvey Mudd College, became famous as​ the “mathemagician” for his magic shows ​in which he performs​ lightning-speed mental calculations. In his new book, The Magic of Math: Solving x and Figuring Out Why, Benjamin writes about the greatest aspects of math. Even if he recognizes that math is a serious subject, he stresses that it has not to be taught in an overly serious way.

– According to Benjamin, both the fun and the explanations are often missing from math instruction in today’s schools. “Arthur epitomizes the social strain of math that involves sharing ideas with people and converting young people, getting them interested in math by reminding them it’s a cool subject,” says Paul Zeitz, professor of mathematics and statistics at the University of San Francisco. Adding that Benjamin “has done more for math than most people do in their entire careers.”

Image: Arthur T. Benjamin

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