Discourses on Algebra

I wish that algebra would be the Cinderella ofour story. In the math­ ematics program in schools, geometry has often been the favorite daugh­ ter. The amount of geometric knowledge studied in schools is approx­ imately equal to the level achieved in ancient Greece and summarized by Euclid in his Elements (third century B. C. ). For a long time, geom­ etry was taught according to Euclid; simplified variants have recently appeared. In spite of all the changes introduced in geometry cours­ es, geometry retains the influence of Euclid and the inclination of the grandiose scientific revolution that occurred in Greece. More than once I have met a person who said, "I didn't choose math as my profession, but I'll never forget the beauty of the elegant edifice built in geometry with its strict deduction of more and more complicated propositions, all beginning from the very simplest, most obvious statements!" Unfortunately, I have never heard a similar assessment concerning al­ gebra. Algebra