Heavenly Mathematics: The Forgotten Art of Spherical Trigonometry - Softcover

Van Brummelen, Glen

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0691175993 ISBN 13: 9780691175997

Publisher: Princeton University Press, 2017

Synopsis

An unparalleled illustrated history of spherical trigonometry from antiquity to today

Heavenly Mathematics traces the rich history of spherical trigonometry, revealing how the cultures of classical Greece, medieval Islam, and the modern West used this forgotten art to chart the heavens and the Earth. Once at the heart of astronomy and ocean-going navigation for two millennia, the discipline was also a mainstay of mathematics education for centuries and taught widely until the 1950s. Glen Van Brummelen explores this exquisite branch of mathematics and its role in ancient astronomy, geography, and cartography; Islamic religious rituals; celestial navigation; polyhedra; stereographic projection; and more. He conveys the sheer beauty of spherical trigonometry, providing readers with a new appreciation of its elegant proofs and often surprising conclusions. Heavenly Mathematics is illustrated throughout with stunning historical images and informative drawings and diagrams. This unique compendium also features easy-to-use appendixes as well as exercises that originally appeared in textbooks from the eighteenth to the early twentieth centuries.

About this title

About the Author

Glen Van Brummelen is coordinator of mathematics at Quest University Canada and former president of the Canadian Society for History and Philosophy of Mathematics. He won the 2016 Haimo Award for Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics, awarded by the Mathematical Association of America, and the 2017 3M National Teaching Fellowship, awarded by the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education.

From the Back Cover

"Heavenly Mathematicsis heavenly, is mathematics, and is so much more: history, astronomy, geography, and navigation, replete with historical illustrations, elegant diagrams, and charming anecdotes. I haven't followed mathematical proofs with such delight in decades. If, as the author laments, spherical trigonometry was in danger of extinction, this book will give it a long-lasting reprieve."--David J. Helfand, president of the American Astronomical Society

"This beautifully written book on an unusual topic, with its wealth of historical information about astronomy, navigation, and mathematics, is greatly to be welcomed."--Robin Wilson, president of the British Society for the History of Mathematics, author of Four Colors Suffice: How the Map Problem Was Solved

"Written by the leading expert on the subject, this engaging book provides an in-depth historical introduction to spherical trigonometry. Heavenly Mathematics breathes new and interesting life into a topic that has been slumbering for far too long."--June Barrow-Green, associate editor of The Princeton Companion to Mathematics

"Heavenly Mathematics is a very good book. It offers an interesting, accessible, and entertaining introduction to spherical trigonometry, which used to be a standard school topic but is now rarely studied. Interesting stories, engaging illustrations, and practical examples come together to enhance the reader's pleasure and understanding."--Fernando Q. Gouvêa, Colby College

"Van Brummelen provides not only a wonderful historical treatment of spherical trigonometry but also a modern one that shows how the ancient and medieval methods were replaced by newer and simpler means of problem solving. Many students will find this a fascinating and worthwhile subject."--Victor J. Katz, editor of The Mathematics of Egypt, Mesopotamia, China, India, and Islam

Edition details

• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Publication date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0691175993
• ISBN 13: 9780691175997
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 216