All too often, people assume that Tangente is intended solely for high-school students and teachers. Nothing could be further from the truth: it offers teachers both a vast collection of usable material and a rich source of inspiration.
A tool for teachers from the outset ----------------------------------------------
The introduction of so-called "modern" mathematics in the 1970s and early 1980s brought bewildering teaching guidelines for which teachers were unprepared, with terribly damaging consequences for the public image of mathematics. Who can forget Stella Baruk's response in her 1973 polemic *Échecs et Maths* (Failure and Maths), which attracted enormous media attention? In response, teachers in the 1980s sought to illustrate their lessons with examples drawn from "real" life, sport, music and games. They tried to bring to life the scholars known only through the theorems that bear their names.
Tangente was created to meet this need. Teachers founded the magazine (see page 14), wanting to improve the image of mathematics by presenting it differently and showing its close connections with the world around us. Initially focused on education, Tangente, also explores how the concepts being taught can be communicated and popularized. It naturally draws on a readership of teachers (the APMEP was among its original shareholders) and has become a modern teaching resource, "an essential complement to classroom teaching," as Fabien Durand, president of the SMF (Société mathématique de France) and a subscriber to Tangente from the outset, explains. He adds: "I probably also owe it my keen interest in popularizing mathematics for young audiences, which leads me to give around fifteen talks a year in middle and high schools in my region, sometimes inspired by articles in Tangente. Tangente is a source that enriches my teaching with anecdotes, historical interludes and alternative perspectives. I appreciate its spacious layout and effective content, which provide a gateway to more in-depth reading. "