Math I Am: What We Learn from Stories That People Tell About Math in Their Lives

Abstract

What is mathematics? And what counts as mathematics in people’s activities at home, work, and school in daily life? One might try to answer this question by consulting expert mathematicians and philosophers, or by examining the historical role that mathematics has played in shaping major scientific and technical advances. We take a far less lofty approach, and try to find answers to this question in the everyday experiences of adults and children. Without denying the possibility of a universal mathematics, we assume that the question what is mathematics? may garner markedly different answers from person to person and, therefore, the meaning of mathematics may vary from person to person and from context to context.