Geometry and the Imagination

Geometry and the Imagination is the English translation of the 1932 book Anschauliche Geometrie by <a href="/facts/David_Hilbert/1vhlHn4b">David Hilbert</a> and <a href="/facts/Stefan_Cohn-Vossen/mUfH8SzR">Stefan Cohn-Vossen</a>.
The book was based on a series of lectures Hilbert made in the winter of 1920–21. The book is an attempt to present some then-current mathematical thought to "contribute to a more just appreciation of mathematics by a wider range of people than just the specialists." It differentiates between two tendencies in mathematics and any other scientific research: on the one hand, toward abstraction and logical relations, correlating the subject matter in a systematic and orderly manner, and on the other hand an intuitive approach, which moves toward a more immediate grasp of and a "live rapport" with the same material. Further he asserts that intuitive understanding actually plays a major role for the researcher as well as anyone who wishes to study and appreciate Geometry.

Geometry and the Imagination open-in-new

Geometry and the Imagination