Dr John Hannah
Senior Lecturer
Department of Mathematics and Statistics
University of Canterbury
Private Bag 4800
Christchurch, NEW ZEALAND
Room 712, Erskine Building
Telephone: +64 3 364 2987 ext 7685
Fax: +64 3 364 2587
Email: j.hannah@math.canterbury.ac.nz
Research Interests
- History of Mathematics
- Mathematics Education
I am interested the development of symbolism and imagery in mathematics and mathematics education.
Current projects
- The birth of algebra: in the years leading up to the invention of symbolic algebra by Viete, how did mathematicians do mathematics? Were there patterns of thought, or particular mathematical techniques, which we could view as ancestors of algebraic thinking?
- Text books often present abstract subjects such as linear algebra or group theory in fairly austere terms: definitions, theorems and proofs. Can the use of imagery (geometric or otherwise) help students to gain a better understanding of such subjects?