[bwfan123]

Love the writing style, and I wish all math was written this way. These articles are accessible to anyone who has had some high school math background, and paints a historical backdrop on how the sausage was made (with links to the original papers). Some of these ideas took millenia to develop, and when presented in neat capsule, students are cheated of the mystery and struggle that went into the progression and development of the ideas. I would argue that all math education has to be re-invented to follow this style, ie, uncover the historical progression, wonder and mystery.

[lioeters]

Wholeheartedly agree that this is a great educational approach, telling the story of an idea's development through history, the people involved, the major milestones, how the original spark was shaped, questioned, extended, and refined to its present form. I often find myself tracing an idea "backward" through time, to discover where it came from, who was influenced by whom, and learn so much from the journey.

This story usually explains why some concept is the way it is, whereas the typical presentation is to just give you the final form, without untangling the logic and its historical development. Also, starting from the original conception - like ancient Greeks or Indian philosopher, etc. - is much more relatable because one can see the "primitive" shape of an idea. And I mean primitive in the best sense of the term, thinking from first principles.