In Marrakech how can I forget "A is for ..."!

The Arabian world gave us algebra and algorithm and much more besides, as star gazers quickly find. There are many beautiful Arabic names for stars. At the UM6P Conference venue there were some wall displays, highlighting the major contribution of Al Khawarizmi:

Earlier this month I picked up The New York Review of Books, spotting a review of four books (2009-2025) on mathematics, including algebra by Paul Lockhart.

Dan Rockmore. In Defence of Algebra, The New York Review of Books. April 9th, 2026, Vol. LXXIII, No. 6. pp.28-30.
https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2026/04/09/in-defense-of-algebra-paul-lockhart/

Frayn - on maths

"Pure arithmetic is not about particular things but about particular relations between things. Algebra preserves an even loftier detachment from the world. It is not about relations between things - it about relations between relations. Numbers are variables that can be quantified in the physical world. Algebraic terms are variables that can be quantified in the world of numbers." pp.154-155.

Frayn, Michael (2006). The human touch: our part in the creation of a universe. 'Fingerhold', Chapter 5. London: Faber & Faber. pp.139-170.

individual

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INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES

humanistic ------------------------------- mechanistic

SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL

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group

human	TOUCH
... human human  human  human human ...	Don't you dare! Yes, please do!