DIIMatR - Directory of Intrinsically Interesting Mathematics Resources

(there is now a proto-prototype of this running: go to http://fulcrum.org/cgi-bin/test/dx.pl to see it--or contribute!)

Goal

The goal of this project is to create a directory of mathematics resources which are, to non-mathematicians, highly curiosity-promoting. There could be many other definitions of "Intrinsically Interesting", but the one we're using here means that the materials, by themselves, independent of course requirements, future courses, standardized tests, etc., have a high capacity to generate interest in the involved mathematics.

But that's so subjective!

Indeed. The whole point is to look for things that are aesthetically pleasing and/or intriguing to people without a great deal of mathematical training. Thus, our criteria are fuzzy and subjective by definition. Part of the effort is to discover what can interest, inspire, and intrigue people about mathematics, so we're intentionally trying to limit our assumptions about what that will be.

For Example...?

You may have already encountered a couple of examples--there was quite the flurry of interest in fractals, for example. The proof of Fermat's Last Theorem generated a bit of media coverage. Although people didn't realize that they were trying to solve a math problem, they spent a lot of money on Rubik's cubes a few years back. What else might cause people to learn a little mathematics voluntarily? There is evidence to suggest that all or nearly all branches of mathematics, which for the most part are completely unknown to non-mathematicians, have something tremendously interesting to offer the general public.

Why?

Well, there are at least two "why"s to be addressed here. One, "why a directory?", and two, "why intrinsically interesting mathematics?". The first one has the shortest answer--"because there isn't one". But there is a lot of intrinsically interesting mathematics content on the web, in print, and in film. There are entire sites dedicated to mathematics, many of which have some IIM content, but a person who starts out with the question "where is some cool math stuff my kids/students will like?" will have to filter through all the math content on the web by hand to get to it. Many people have ranked and categorized their mathematics content by grade level, by subject area, etc, but not by "level of intrinsic interest". Which brings up the second why, "Why Intrinsically Interesting Mathematics?".

Or, why bother creating intrinsically interesting mathematics content in the first place? After all, mathematics is just a tool for science, business, and a few everyday life needs. Who cares, besides mathematicians, what's interesting about it? There may be a quite surprising answer to this last question--maybe you care and you just don't know it. Maybe if you saw some intriguing mathematics topic, it would add something pleasant to your life, something to stimulate your brain when you would otherwise be idly waiting for a traffic light to change color or standing in line at the bank. Maybe, if someone was really successful at getting the public to see what is worthwhile about mathematics, we would have an entire population more accustomed to rational decision making, clarity of thought, and critical of logically fallacious arguments in the media as well as the boardroom.

But even failing that, we could give a lot of people something to greatly enrich their lives. You don't have to have art on your walls, music in the air, or good food to survive. But the quality of your life will suffer without it. That is what, we argue, is happening right now with mathematics--the average person's quality of life is suffering without it. That's the real "why" behind DIIMatR, and what we hope to change.

There is a sister project, DIAMatR, that you may find of interest.