the natural history
of abstract objects

My book will no doubt be flawed in many ways of which I am not yet aware, but there is one “sin” that I have intentionally committed, and for which I shall not repent: many of the arguments are not rigorous, at least as they stand. This is a serious crime if one believes that our mathematical theories are merely elaborate metal constructs, precariously hoisted aloft. Then rigor becomes the nerve-racking balancing act that prevents the entire structure from crashing down around us. But suppose one believes, as I do, that our mathematical theories are attempting to capture aspects of a robust Platonic world that is not of our making. I would the contend that an initial lack of rigor is a small price to pay if it allows the reader to see into this world more directly and pleasurably than would otherwise be possible.

—Tristan Needham, Visual Complex Analysis xi

~~~mathematical autobiography~~~

combinatorics

algebraic synæsthesia

logarithms

trig

complex nummies

sequences and serieseses

calculus!!!

linalg