Introduction to Experimental Mathematics

Scott B. Lindstrom ()
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Scott B. Lindstrom: Curtin University, Centre for Optimisation and Decision Science

A chapter in Handbook of Visual, Experimental and Computational Mathematics, 2026, pp 879-890 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract We all do experimental mathematics, whether or not we realize it. A child is told that six and eight make fourteen. They add six marbles to eight and count them, verifying the result. Our goal in this section is twofold: (1) to sample the field’s present state and (2) to share best practices and stimulate conversation about them. In this introductory chapter, we discuss what we mean by experimental mathematics. We recall Jonathan Borwein and Keith Devlin’s characterization of the practice, as one that evades a simple definition but may be readily recognized. We then discuss the many ways that we can recognize it. Finally, we portend this book section’s seven expositions from a range of modern research topics and one exposition on the role of experimental mathematics in the classroom.

Keywords: Experimental mathematics; Visualization; Computational mathematics; Data; Mathematical modeling (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-16368-4_72

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