Intuition, understanding, and proof: Tatiana Afanassjewa on teaching and learning geometry (Q6547652)

Tatiana Afanassjewa (1876--1964) was a Russian-Dutch mathematician and physicist, known particularly for her collaborative work with her husband Paul Ehrenfest (1880--1933) on statistical physics.\N\NThe paper under review is a chapter of a book on the legacy of Tatiana Afanassjewa, also exploring her contributions to other areas, including mathematics education. The paper considers Afanassjewa's thoughts on the role of intuition and understanding in the teaching of geometry, balancing an example-based approach aimed at fostering spatial imagination with a formal approach focusing on rigour, axioms, and proofs. Afanassjewa's ideas were published in her 1924 manifesto ``Wat kan en moet het Meetkundeonderwijs aan een niet-wiskundige geven?'' (What can and should geometry education offer a non-mathematician?), which is translated into English in the present book for the first time [\textit{P. van Wierst}, in: The legacy of Tatjana Afanassjewa. Philosophical insights from the work of an original physicist and mathematician. Cham: Springer. 181--198 (2021; Zbl 1542.80003)].\N\NThe paper details Afanassjewa's ideas and establishes connections to the approaches of prominent mathematicians such as Felix Klein and David Hilbert, whom she met in Göttingen. Furthermore, it describes how Afanassjewa became a pioneering figure in the Dutch community of mathematics education.\N\NFor the entire collection see [Zbl 1515.01006].