Cultural Development of Mathematical Ideas (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780521761666)

Drawing upon field studies conducted in 1978, 1980, and 2001 with the Oksapmin, a remote Papua New Guinea group, Geoffrey B. Saxe traces the emergence of new forms of numerical representations and ideas in the social history of the community. In traditional life, the Oksapmin used a counting system that makes use of twenty-seven parts of the body; there is no evidence that the group used arithmetic in prehistory. As practices of economic exchange and schooling have shifted, children and adults unwittingly reproduced and altered the system in order to solve new kinds of numerical and arithmetical problems, a process that has led to new forms of collective representations in the community. While Dr. Saxe's focus is on the Oksapmin, the insights and general framework he provides are useful for understanding shifting representational forms and emerging cognitive functions in any human community. Video and visual supports for the book, the Cultural Development of Mathematical Ideas: Papua New Guinea Studies, which are key to a deeper understanding of this ground-breaking project are available online at http: //www.culturecognition.com

Author: Geoffrey B. Saxe
ISBN-10: 0521761662
ISBN-13: 9780521761666
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Language: English
Published: 09/28/2012
Pages: 393
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.45lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.30w x 1.10d