ABSTRACT
Enquiry in mathematics appears at first to be unproblematic: the mathematician explores ideas, develops notation, defines terms, and proves theorems. Of course, when examined more closely, it becomes rather more difficult to describe what mathematicians do in a way which they acknowledge and recognize (Polya, 1962; Tall, 1980; Davis and Hersh, 1981; Kitcher, 1983; Mason et al., 1984). Mathematicians build on each other’s work, using results and techniques, and following up variations and generalizations. Tracing references through mathematical reviews, citation indices, and conferences, provides a skeletal picture of the development of ideas and notation.
