On mathematics, imagination & the beauty of numbers

BARRY M AZUR: I can't answer that question, but I can offer some com ments. A person's first steps in his or her mathematical development are ex ceedingly important. Early education deserves our efforts and ingenuity. But also here is a message to any older per son who has never given a thought to mathematics or science during their school days or afterwards : You may be ready to start. Starting can be intellectu ally thrilling, and there are quite a few old classics written in just the right style to accompany you as you begin to take your first steps in mathematics. I'm thinking, for example, of the old T. C. Mits series, or Tobias Dantizg's wonder ful Number: The Language of Science, or Lancelot Hogben's Mathematics for the Millions. Moreover, one should not be dismayed that there are many steps there is no need to take them all. Just enjoy each one you do take. Bill Thurston, a great geometer, uses the word 'tall' to describe mathematics

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