Visual Considerations in the Presentation of Mathematical Proofs

Abstract

This article is about visual issues in the presentation of mathematics within teaching situations. It focuses particularly on the presentation of proofs to undergraduate students. We describe some of the decisions that a lecturer must make when presenting a written proof, from the layout of individual equations to the layout of a whole argument on the page. We consider the way in which these decisions are made explicit for lecturers who construct electronic learning resources termed e-Proofs, and conclude by discussing the constraints and affordances of this technology.