A History of Japanese Mathematics (Dover Books on Mathematics) - Softcover

David E. Smith; Yoshio Mikami

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9780486434827: A History of Japanese Mathematics (Dover Books on Mathematics)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0486434826 ISBN 13: 9780486434827

Publisher: Dover Publications, 2004

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One of the first books to show Westerners the nature of Japanese mathematics, this survey highlights the leading features in the development of the wasan, the Japanese system of mathematics. Topics include the use of the soroban, or abacus; the application of sangi, or counting rods, to algebra; the discoveries of the 17th-century sage Seki Kowa; the yenri, or circle principle; the work of 18th-century geometer Ajima Chokuyen; and Wada Nei's contributions to the understanding of hypotrochoids. Unabridged republication of the classic 1914 edition. 74 figures. Index.

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From the Back Cover:

First published in 1914, this unique book explains the development of the study of math from ancient Japan through to that nation's then-current integration into the Western scientific world. In the beginning, Japan imported its scientific understanding from China--while little is known about the state of mathematics at the time, the words used for numbers were Chinese in origin.

Eventually, the Japanese began to develop their own methods and calculation machines, culminating in a golden era of wasan, or classical mathematics. Anyone interested in Japanese culture or the history of math will find this a fascinating read.

New York lawyer and mathematician DAVID EUGENE SMITH (1860-1944) authored a number of books while a professor of mathematics at Columbia University, including The Teaching of Elementary Mathematics (1900) and History of Modern Mathematics (1896).

About the Author:

Japanese mathematician YOSHIO MIKAMI (1875-1950) wrote a number of articles on the development of mathematics in his home country, including "Mathematical Papers from the Far East."

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