Abstract / Synopsis
John Allen Paulos argued essentially for three forms of humor dear to mathematics: Incongruity, Gotcha, and Word Play. Unfortunately, these three are often combative forms and easily drive non-STEM majors out of mathematics and statistics.
William Dunham in The Mathematical Universe shows how a fine mathematician can use humor to draw non-specialists in. Central to Dunham’s success is his use of Sympathetic Pain humor, which creates softer synthetic Reconciler, Consoler, or Bridgebuilder humor styles.
DOI
10.5642/jhummath.201601.14
Recommended Citation
Paul H. Grawe, "A Meeting of Minds: An Alternate Humor for Teaching Mathematics to non-STEM Majors," Journal of Humanistic Mathematics, Volume 6 Issue 1 (January 2016), pages 220-234. DOI: 10.5642/jhummath.201601.14. Available at: https://scholarship.claremont.edu/jhm/vol6/iss1/14
