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Discussion is as much a part of mathematics tutorials as the solving of particular problems.
Discussion is as much a part of mathematics tutorials as the solving of particular problems.
Students learn—and teach one another—as they demonstrate mathematical propositions.
Students learn—and teach one another—as they demonstrate mathematical propositions.
At St. John’s, students approach mathematics in a spirit of questioning and self-reflection.
At St. John’s, students approach mathematics in a spirit of questioning and self-reflection.

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One of three tutorials at St. John’s, the mathematics tutorial approaches math as a liberal art through reading and discussion as well as through demonstrations and problem solving. The mathematics tutorial consists of the following:

Who?

From 12 to 16 students and one faculty member, called a tutor, in conversation around a table.

When?

Three classes per week in each of the four years.

What?

Beginning with Euclid and the elements of geometry in freshman year and progressing all the way through special relativity and non-Euclidean geometry in senior year.

How?

By reading mathematical treatises, demonstrating propositions at the blackboard, and solving mathematical problems. By contemplating and discussing questions that provoke reflective thought and excite both the intellect and the imagination.

Why?

To gain familiarity with a discipline that underlies much of the modern world. To think about what it means to come to know something. To understand crucial differences between ancient and modern mathematics.