The Mathematical Gazette - free paper by Douglas Hofstadter 11 May 2026

Why do disjoint cycles commute? Or, why do mathematicians not like horsies and doggies?
by Douglas Hofstadter.

Hofstadter's short paper illustrates differences in approach to teaching maths - some sources go into great technical detail to prove what may be to others a self-evident fact, which Hofstadter illustrates visually. He writes about how some mathematicians use "highly abstruse language" for ideas that could be conveyed to students more simply. Could we rely more on everyday intuitions when thinking about abstract ideas? Does the formalism seen when teaching match how mathematicians think about mathematics? Letters to the editor in response (in support or arguing against!) are welcome via gazette@amie.org.uk. 

Read the free paper here.