Mathematical Etudes: Evolution from Multimedia to a Book

[摘要] An exceptional feature of mathematical popularisationin Russia from its very beginning has been the mainrole always played by leading scientists. The popularisation movement started from extracurricular clubs called“mathematical circles”, which appeared in Leningrad(now Saint Petersburg) in the early 1930s. This maths clubactivity was accompanied by the first Russian citywideMathematics Olympiad for high school pupils, organisedin 1934 by the prominent mathematician and populariser Boris Nikolaevich Delaunay. In the post-war period,the maths circles and mathematics Olympiad movementbecame a mass phenomenon. Many outstanding mathematicians (including A.N. Kolmogorov, P.S. Alexandrov,I.M. Gel’fand, D.K. Faddeev and V.I. Arnold) were engaged in this activity: giving lectures, writing popular science books for children and organising Olympiads. It wasunderstood (and this fact also became Russian tradition)that to awaken a child’s interest in some occupation, ithad to be taught by leading scientists.