UNIFYING CRITERIA OF SCIENTIFIC BEAUTY AS A SOURCE OF CREATIVITY IN THE CONTEXT OF MATHEMATICS EDUCATION

Abstract

Summary. This article examines the possible influence of beauty on students' creative activity in the context of mathematics teaching. The unifying criteria of scientific beauty are considered as criteria for mathematical beauty: uniting of diversity, universality, the mathematical notation of scientific regularities, and applicability. It is shown that each of these criteria, in its own way, contributes to the manifestation and activation of students' creative abilities. Mathematical concepts, judgments, and conclusions are considered the objects of students' creative activity.

The problem is considered both in the context of school mathematics and in its practical application.The unity of manifolds and commonality as aesthetic characteristics are manifested in all the main objects of school mathematics. Such manifestations allow for a fresh look at these objects from the perspective of their origin and interrelationships, engaging them in the sphere of student creative activity, and enriching the system of school mathematical exercises with new quantitative and qualitative aspects. The criterion of the mathematical notation of scientific regularities manifests itself both in the applied environment and in the form of purely mathematical formulations. The manifestations of this characteristic in applied settings offer broad, but not profound, opportunities for creative work. At the same time, similar manifestations in mathematics can facilitate the realization of full-fledged creative activity, satisfying all levels of complexity—from proof problems to the discovery and proof of theorems. However, implementing the latter observation presents a serious methodological challenge and requires a special approach.

Each of the criteria considered as a source of creative activity is illustrated in the paper with practical examples from textbooks. These examples have both quantitative and qualitative dimension.