Author: Girolamo Cardano
Publisher: Courier Corporation
Published: 2007-01-01
Total Pages: 306
ISBN-13: 0486458733
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →First published in 1545, this cornerstone in the history of mathematics contains the first revelation of the principles for solving cubic and biquadratic equations. T. Richard Witmer's excellent translation from the Latin, adapted to modern mathematical syntax, will appeal to both mathematicians and historians. Foreword by Oystein Ore.
Author: Jacqueline A. Stedall
Publisher: European Mathematical Society
Published: 2011
Total Pages: 244
ISBN-13: 9783037190920
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →This book is an exploration of a claim made by Lagrange in the autumn of 1771 as he embarked upon his lengthy ``Reflexions sur la resolution algebrique des equations'': that there had been few advances in the algebraic solution of equations since the time of Cardano in the mid sixteenth century. That opinion has been shared by many later historians. The present study attempts to redress that view and to examine the intertwined developments in the theory of equations from Cardano to Lagrange. A similar historical exploration led Lagrange himself to insights that were to transform the entire nature and scope of algebra. Progress was not confined to any one country: at different times mathematicians in Italy, France, the Netherlands, England, Scotland, Russia, and Germany contributed to the discussion and to a gradual deepening of understanding. In particular, the national Academies of Berlin, St. Petersburg, and Paris in the eighteenth century were crucial in supporting informed mathematical communities and encouraging the wider dissemination of key ideas. This study therefore truly highlights the existence of a European mathematical heritage. The book is written in three parts. Part I offers an overview of the period from Cardano to Newton (1545 to 1707) and is arranged chronologically. Part II covers the period from Newton to Lagrange (1707 to 1771) and treats the material according to key themes. Part III is a brief account of the aftermath of the discoveries made in the 1770s. The book attempts throughout to capture the reality of mathematical discovery by inviting the reader to follow in the footsteps of the authors themselves, with as few changes as possible to the original notation and style of presentation.
Author: Karine Chemla
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Published: 2004
Total Pages: 308
ISBN-13: 9781402023200
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →This book explores the hypothesis that the types of inscription or text used by a given community of practitioners are designed in the very same process as the one producing concepts and results. The book sets out to show how, in exactly the same way as for the other outcomes of scientific activity, all kinds of factors, cognitive as well as cultural, technological, social or institutional, conjoin in shaping the various types of writings and texts used by the practitioners of the sciences. To make this point, the book opts for a genuinely multicultural approach to the texts produced in the context of practices of knowledge. It is predicated on the conviction that, in order to approach any topic in the history of science from a theoretical point of view, it may be fruitful to consider it from a global perspective. The book hence does not only gather papers dealing with geometrical papyri of antiquity, sixteenth century French books in algebra, seventeenth century scientific manuscripts and paintings, eighteenth and nineteenth century memoirs published by European academies or scientific journals, and Western Opera Omnia. It also considers the problems of interpretation relating to reading Babylonian clay tablets, Sanskrit oral scriptures and Chinese books and illustrations. Thus it enables the reader to explore the diversity of forms which texts have taken in history and the wide range of uses they have inspired. This volume will be of interest to historians, philosophers of science, linguists and anthropologists
Author: Girolamo Cardano
Publisher: Dover Publications
Published: 1993
Total Pages: 316
ISBN-13:
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →Author: I. G. Bashmakova
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 2000-04-27
Total Pages: 200
ISBN-13: 9780883853290
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →An examination of the evolution of one of the cornerstones of modern mathematics.
Author: Charles C Pinter
Publisher: Courier Corporation
Published: 2010-01-14
Total Pages: 402
ISBN-13: 0486474178
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →Accessible but rigorous, this outstanding text encompasses all of the topics covered by a typical course in elementary abstract algebra. Its easy-to-read treatment offers an intuitive approach, featuring informal discussions followed by thematically arranged exercises. This second edition features additional exercises to improve student familiarity with applications. 1990 edition.
Author: François Viète
Publisher: Courier Corporation
Published: 2006-01-01
Total Pages: 466
ISBN-13: 0486453480
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →This historic work consists of several treatises that developed the first consistent, coherent, and systematic conception of algebraic equations. Originally published in 1591, it pioneered the notion of using symbols of one kind (vowels) for unknowns and of another kind (consonants) for known quantities, thus streamlining the solution of equations. Francois Viète (1540-1603), a lawyer at the court of King Henry II in Tours and Paris, wrote several treatises that are known collectively as The Analytic Art. His novel approach to the study of algebra developed the earliest articulated theory of equations, allowing not only flexibility and generality in solving linear and quadratic equations, but also something completely new—a clear analysis of the relationship between the forms of the solutions and the values of the coefficients of the original equation. Viète regarded his contribution as developing a "systematic way of thinking" leading to general solutions, rather than just a "bag of tricks" to solve specific problems. These essays demonstrate his method of applying his own ideas to existing usage in ways that led to clear formulation and solution of equations.