new mathematicsn.
/ˌnjuː maθ(ə)ˈmatɪks/, U.S. /ˌn(j)u mæθ(ə)ˈmædɪks/ Usually with the. A new system of or approach to mathematics; spec. a system of teaching mathematics to younger children introduced around 1960, characterized by an emphasis on investigation and discovery by the children themselves, and the inclusion of topics (as set theory, symbolic logic, and number systems) that were not in the traditional school curriculum. Cf. new maths n. at new adj. and n. Compounds 2a.
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the world > relative properties > number > mathematics > [noun] > system of teaching
new mathematics1874
1874 Amer. Naturalist 8 652 It is feared that..the intricacies of the new mathematics will outweigh the superiority of the new physics.
1958 Time 3 Feb. 48/2 (heading) The new mathematics.
1960 Math. Teaching July 21 The self-styled Public Relations Officer for the New Mathematics..declared himself the herald of New Mathematics.
1990 Sunday Times (Nexis) 18 Mar. We have rather more difficulty than some with the new mathematics, according to which 2+4=1.
2000 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 25 Aug. 25 Arcadia is much more than a comedy. It is a literary detective story, a historical romance..and an exploration of the new mathematics.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1874