The Calculus of Friendship: What a Teacher and a Student Learned about Life while Corresponding about Math

A superb teacher of mathematics tells the story of his lifelong epistolary friendship with his high school Calculus teacher. A pleasure to read, it fills a much-needed void by bringing humanity to mathematics. If you like this, I would also recommend “Apologies of a Mathematician” by GH Hardy.

I'm familiar with Steven Strogatz from being an avid Radiolab listener, so I anxiously awaited The Calculus of Friendship. It's a beautiful, poignant story of the intense, special, and evolving relationship between student & teacher. It is also an amazing writing accomplishment that successfully combines math and memoir. While I can't say that I completely understand all the math, the mathematics only adds to this story rather than detracting from it. It shows the true elegance & beauty of calculus, along with the elegance & beauty of working together as student and teacher to solve the calculus. Mr. Joffray is truly an extraordinary teacher, one that allows his students to teach him. I honestly wish that I could learn math from both of these men, and they are portrayed so well through their letters that I would also like to share an interesting dinner & discussion with them. Maybe they could (attempt to) further explain "differentiating under the integral sign" to me! I'm going to insist that my son read this book as he has already had some exemplary math (and chemistry!) teachers that have greatly influenced his life, and is embarking on his college career where I fervently hope he meets more of the same.

This is a very interesting book about the relationship between a high school student and teacher that extends long after the student has graduated. Because both student and teacher are math teachers, the correspondence between them frequently revolves aroung math problems that interest them, but it includes much more than that. Not being mathematically inclined whatsoever, I skipped over all the math, and found it a touching story. For those interested in the math too, it will be a double treat.

Full disclosure: Don Joffray, about whom this book was written, was a great friend of my parents so I knew him as much more than a teacher. The great thing about this book is that the author, Steve Strogatz, paints an accurate, empathetic picture of Joff the man & Joff the teacher, and also weaves a compelling story about the enduring friendship between two math geeks (I say this with admiration). I am not a math major so some of the calculations went beyond my meager understanding, but that didn't matter. Even the math conversations replicated in the book were glimpses into the continuum of a student/teacher realtionship. Very cool!- V. Norris

This is one of the most beautiful books I've read in a long time. It's the story of a teacher and student and the influence they had on each other. The student and teacher have some very powerful moments and it's just a really great story. It's good for people who love math (my engineer partner read and loved it) and it's good for those who are less inclined to mathematics (me).

This is an absolutely beautiful book about the relationship through letters of a high school math teacher and one of his students who becomes a world class mathematician. It's about their lives and the mathematics that bound them together. I have read quite a few memoirs and don't recall any that choked me up like this one did, I want to thank Dr. Strogatz for being so open. Also, the math in the book is very interesting and well explained, if I could give if more than five stars I would.

A touching collection of letters between a high school math teacher and a former student which explores the role of mentoring over many decades. Although the letters contain lots of calculus, it is a truly moving story of a friendship between student and teacher that moves ever so slowly from a purely professional exchange of information into more personal territory.

... and those are the types of experience that are not easy to translate from human mind to symbols, also a pathetic bounds between humans are the extreme limits of our intellectual knowledge. However the author suceeds in it's intent to show the former bound, but not so much to the last. Indeed, the title Calculus of Friendship, gave a hint that the last was not the central point.

Firstly the mathematics presented in this book is really fun stuff and will transport many mathematicians, physicists and engineers to their high school days. The communications between teacher and student through their evolving lives is wonderful, at times quite touching, and comes across as being honest rather than candy coated. I read the book cover to cover over two days, and I can't remember the last time a book drew my attention like this. Hats off to a great book and even greater story.

This is a brief but amazingly revealing account of a friendship that lasted decades and the maths problems that marked its progress more than the life events (births, deaths, marriages) which get less attention.

Es un libro acerca de la amistad de un alumno y su maestro y los temas de la vida que realmente importan (matrimonio, enfermedad, mortalidad).Aunque me pareció que estos temas se trataron en forma breve. Me hubiera gustado que se hubieran tratado un poco más. Me pareció que se terminó muy rápido. Me quedé ganas de más.Está más o menos el libro.

Wish we had many more teachers like Don Joffray in our schools. A Poignant tale of two brilliant minds moving through life. To add to it , the Math exchanged is insightful and mesmerizing.

Ouvrage qui se lit très facilement. Le style est simple et sans prétention. La relation epistulaire entre l'élève et son professeur sur plusieurs décennies est touchante. Livre accessible à tous.