Collins Memorial Library: Mathematics: Getting Started

What's a tertiary source?

Tertiary sources are excellent starting points! They consist of information synthesized from primary and secondary sources. Examples include:

Almanacs
Chronologies
Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
Directories
Fact books
Guidebooks
Indexes, abstracts, bibliographies used to locate primary and secondary sources
Manuals
Textbooks

These resources give you succinct overviews of your topic, explain scholarly arguments, point out interesting questions, and refer you to especially key sources.

Additional Reference Resources

Encyclopaedia of Mathematics by Michiel Hazewinkel (Volume Editor)
Call Number: Click title for location and availability information!

ISBN: 155608000X

Publication Date: 1988

A highly acclaimed, comprehensive, and authoritative eleven-volume Encyclopaedia of Mathematics.
Is Mathematics Inevitable? A Miscellany by Underwood Dudley (Editor)
Call Number: Click title for location and availability information!

ISBN: 9780883855669

Publication Date: 2008

This is a collection of gems from the literature of mathematics that shine as brightly today as when they first appeared in print - they deserve to be seen and admired. There will be something here for anyone interested in mathematics.
Dictionary of Mathematics by John D. Berry; Ted Graham; Jenny Sharpe; Elizabeth Berry
Call Number: Click title for location and availability information!

ISBN: 1579581579

Publication Date: 2000

In the Dictionary of Mathematics, key ideas, terms, and concepts are clearly explained in an accessible and easy-to-use format. Each entry begins with a short definition and is followed by an explanation and/or worked example. The more complex and important the term, the more detailed the entry.
Table of Integrals, Series, and Products by I. S. Gradshteyn; Alan Jeffrey (Editor); Daniel Zwillinger (Editor)
Call Number: Click title for location and availability information!

ISBN: 0122947576

Publication Date: 2000-08-11

The Table of Integrals, Series, and Products is the major reference source for integrals in the English language.

Online Reference Resources

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Mathematics by Richard Earl; James Nicholson
Call Number: Click title for online access!

ISBN: 9780198845355

Publication Date: 2021

With over 4,000 entries, this informative A to Z provides clear, jargon-free definitions on a wide variety of mathematical terms. Its entries cover both pure and applied mathematics, and include key theories, concepts, methods, programmes, people, and terminology.
A Dictionary of Statistics by Graham Upton; Ian Cook
Call Number: Click title for online access!

ISBN: 9780199679188

Publication Date: 2014

This wide-ranging, jargon-free dictionary contains over 2,300 entries on all aspects of statistics, including terms used in computing, mathematics, and probability. It also includes biographical information on over 200 key figures in the field and coverage of statistical journals and societies.

Gale Virtual Reference Library

Start your search for background information with these resources. Gale Virtual Reference Library includes the full text of over 100 subject encyclopedias spanning multiple disciplines, including the Mcgraw-Hill Dictionary of Science & Technology.