pure mathematics
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English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
An early usage, from 1746, is in the title of the position Sadlerian Lecturer of Pure Mathematics (later "Sadleirian Professor of Pure Mathematics").
Noun[edit]
pure mathematics (uncountable)
- The study of mathematical concepts independently of applications outside mathematics.
- 1913, Arthur Lyon Bowley, A General Course of Pure Mathematics[1], Oxford University Press (Clarendon Press), page iii:
- This book is the result of an attempt to bring between two covers a wide region of pure mathematics.
- 1983, B. D. Bunday, H. Mulholland, Pure Mathematics for Advanced Level, Butterworths, 2nd Edition, page v,
- Since the first edition was published there have been changes in the content of the pure mathematics syllabuses of the various examining boards.
- 2010, Martin Liebeck, A Concise Introduction to Pure Mathematics, Taylor & Chapman (CRC Press: Chapman & Hall), 3rd Edition, page xii,
- When starting to study pure mathematics at university, students often have a refreshing sense of "beginning all over again."
Usage notes[edit]
- The term is used both for the practice of mathematics "for its own sake" and for the associated division created at university level for teaching and administration purposes. Some mathematicians regard the university division as artificial: some in the Applied Mathematics department, for instance, may consider themselves pure mathematicians.
Synonyms[edit]
- abbreviation: pure maths
Coordinate terms[edit]
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
area of mathematics
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