Mathematical Writing

This report is based on a course of the same name given at Stanford University during autumn quarter, 1987. Here's the catalog description: CS 209. Mathematical Writing—Issues of technical writing and the effective presentation of mathematics and computer science. Preparation of theses, papers, books, and " literate " computer programs. A term paper on a topic of your choice; this paper may be used for credit in another course. The first three lectures were a " minicourse " that summarized the basics. About two hundred people attended those three sessions, which were devoted primarily to a discussion of the points in §1 of this report. An exercise (§2) and a suggested solution (§3) were also part of the minicourse. The remaining 28 lectures covered these and other issues in depth. We saw many examples of " before " and " after " from manuscripts in progress. We learned how to avoid excessive subscripts and superscripts. We discussed the documentation of algorithms, computer programs, and user manuals. We considered the process of refereeing and editing. We studied how to make effective diagrams and tables, and how to find appropriate quotations to spice up a text. Some of the material duplicated some of what would be discussed in writing classes offered by the English department, but the vast majority of the lectures were devoted to issues that are specific to mathematics and/or computer science. were a special highlight as each of these outstanding authors presented their own perspectives on the problems of mathematical communication. This report contains transcripts of the lectures and copies of various handouts that were distributed during the quarter. We think the course was able to clarify a surprisingly large number of issues that play an important part in the life of every professional who works in mathematical fields. Therefore we hope that people who were unable to attend the course might still benefit from it, by reading this summary of what transpired. The authors wish to thank Phyllis Winkler for the first-rate technical typing that made these notes possible. Caveat: These are transcripts of lectures, not a polished set of essays on the subject. Some of the later lectures refer to mistakes in the notes of earlier lectures; we have decided to correct some (but not all) of those mistakes before printing this report. References to such no-longer-existent blunders might be hard to understand. Understand? Videotapes of the …