The drama shows the process of Napier’s invention of logarithm.
On Nov. 12, students from Department of Mathematics, ECNU, presented an original maths drama show, “Great Talk on Mathematics: To Commemorate 400th Anniversary of Invention of Logarithm”, at Zhangjiang Schoolyard of No. 2 High School of East China Normal University to introduce mathematical culture and arouse high school students’ interest inmathematics.
The show is about the story of Scotland mathematician John Napier’s 20 years’ upsand downs in his life. With the use of “time travel”, the show restores the whole process of Napier’s invention of logarithm.
The drama attracts lots of students.
With vivid performances, the drama won high praise and great applause from students and teachers of No. 2 High School of ECNU. Many students said that the showchanged their ideas toward mathematics. They had never thought mathematics could be so interesting with so profound cultural background.
“The drama explains the profound mathematics concept with an easy-to-understand method. That will be of great importance to promote the culture of mathematics among students. It helps us to understand that mathematics is not only asubject which we have to learn to pass the exam, but also a light of human civilization,” said Chen Shuangshuang, a special-grade maths teacher of the school.
Directors of the drama exchange views with a teacher (center) from No.2 High School of ECNU.
ECNUers’creation of maths drama is not out of a sudden. In 2012, “No More Galois”, the first maths drama created by ECNU studentsand teachers, told the tragic life and romances of French genius mathematician Evariste Galois. In 2013, “The Priority Dispute between Newton and Leibniz in Invention of Calculus”, a drama represented the classical case in the history of mathematics, also shown the unique charm of maths drama.
Writtenby: Shi Yangyang
Editedby: Liu Jinyu
