Re: Reading Article Was Pythagoras Chinese - Revisiting an Old Debate

 •Does it make a difference to our students' learning if we acknowledge (or don't acknowledge) non-European sources of mathematics? Why, or how?

Yes, most of math theorems/theories are similar across different cultures. However, they are not totally the same/duplicate of each other. Every culture has its own perspective in terms of understanding the theorems and the purpose of developing the theorems are also different. I think it's important to let students view/understand the same theorem from different perspectives will help them to foster the ideas into their more practical learning. As Canada is such a multicultural country, It's important to introduce non-European sources of mathematics to the class so that students will learn to appreciate the versatility of mathematics around the world. Mathematics is truly a great lens to see the world not only mathematically but also historically! 

•What are your thoughts about the naming of the Pythagorean Theorem, and other named mathematical theorems and concepts (for example, Pascal's Triangle...check out its history.) 

I personally don't feel it's wrong to use someone's name for the theorem, but It can mislead sometimes as that person might not be the first one who discovered the math behind it. However, as we are teaching/learning in a western country, it's understandable to first introduce the western version of the theorem which makes it's even more important to share the non-European sources of mathematics in class. Sadly, schools most likely only introduce westernized mathematics in schools in Asian countries and forgot about they have their own history of mathematics! We should at least introduce them to the students so that they are reminded of their roots which should be embraced by people all around the world. Math is not just some formulas that were recorded in books, it's rather a part of the history that witnessed the development of cultures and human beings. Math doesn't belong to "someone", it belongs to all of us!