A History of Mathematics (Classic Reprint) - Softcover

Cajori, Florian

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1440042659 ISBN 13: 9781440042652

Publisher: Forgotten Books, 2018

Synopsis

Florian Cajori's A History of Mathematics is a seminal work in American mathematics. The book is a summary of the study of mathematics from antiquity through World War I, exploring the evolution of advanced mathematics. As the first history of mathematics published in the United States, it has an important place in the libraries of scholars and universities.

A History of Mathematics is a history of mathematics, mathematicians, equations and theories; it is not a textbook, and the early chapters do not demand a thorough understanding of mathematical concepts. The book starts with the use of mathematics in antiquity, including contributions by the Babylonians, Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. The sections on the Greek schools of thought are very readable for anyone who wants to know more about Greek arithmetic and geometry. Cajori explains the advances by Indians and Arabs during the Middle Ages, explaining how those regions were the custodians of mathematics while Europe was in the intellectual dark ages. Many interesting mathematicians and their discoveries and theories are discussed, with the text becoming more technical as it moves through Modern Europe, which encompasses discussion of the Renaissance, Descartes, Newton, Euler, LaGrange and Laplace.

The final section of the book covers developments in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. Cajori describes the state of synthetic geometry, analytic geometry, algebra, analytics and applied mathematics. Readers who are not mathematicians can learn much from this book, but the advanced chapters may be easier to understand if one has background in the subject matter. Readers will want to have A History of Mathematics on their bookshelves.

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About this title

About the Author:

An increased interest in the history of the exact sciences manifested in recent years by teachers everywhere, and the attention given to historical inquiry in the mathematical class-rooms and seminaries of our leading universities, cause me to believe that a brief general History of Mathematics will be found acceptable to teachers and students. The pages treating|necessarily in a very condensed form of the progress made during the present century, are put forth with great di_dence, although I have spent much time in the e_ort to render them accurate and reasonably complete. Many valuable suggestions and criticisms on the chapter on \Recent Times" have been made by Dr. E. W. Davis, of the University of Nebraska. The proof-sheets of this chapter have also been submitted to Dr. J. E. Davies and Professor C. A. Van Velzer, both of the University of Wisconsin; to Dr. G. B. Halsted, of the University ofTexas; Professor L. M. Hoskins, of the Leland Stanford Jr. University; and Professor G. D. Olds, of Amherst College,|all of whom have a_orded valuable assistance. I am specially indebted to Professor F. H. Loud, of Colorado College, who has read the proof-sheets throughout. To all the gentlemen above named, as well as to Dr. Carlo Veneziani of Salt Lake City, who read the first part of my work in manuscript, I desire to express my hearty thanks. But in acknowledging their kindness, I trust that I shall not seem to lay upon them any share in the responsibility for errors which I may have introduced in subsequent revision of the text. FLORIAN CAJORI.

About this edition

• Publisher: Forgotten Books
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 1440042659
• ISBN 13: 9781440042652
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 458