A Guide to Writing Mathematics
Dr. Kevin P. Lee
Introduction
This is a math class! Why are we writing?
There is a good chance that you have never written a paper in a math class before. So you
might be wondering why writing is required in your math class now.
The Greek word mathemas, from which we derive the word mathematics, embodies the
notions of knowledge, cognition, understanding, and perception. In the end, mathematics is
about ideas. In math classes at the university level, the ideas and concepts encountered are
more complex and sophisticated. The mathematics learned in college will include concepts
which cannot be expressed using just equations and formulas. Putting mathemas on paper
will require writing sentences and paragraphs in addition to the equations and formulas.