Math through the Ages: A Gentle History for Teachers and Students (Maa Textbooks)

Where did math come from? Who thought up all those algebra symbols, and why? What is the story behind π? … negative numbers? … the metric system? … quadratic equations? … sine and cosine? … logs? Including five new independent historical sketches, each complete with added questions and projects, this second edition answers these questions and many others in an informal, easy-going style, accessible to teachers, students and anyone who is curious about the history of mathematical ideas. The 30 short stories are preceded by a 58-page bird's-eye overview of the entire panorama of mathematical history, a whirlwind tour of the most important people, events, and trends that shaped the mathematics we know today. The 'Books You Ought to Read' section and new bibliography also ensure that up-to-date starting points are provided for readers who want to pursue a topic further.

William Berlinghoff was educated at the College of the Holy Cross, Boston College, and Wesleyan University, where he received his PhD in Mathematics. He began his teaching career at the College of St Rose in Albany, New York, was Professor of Mathematics at Southern Connecticut State University, and was Visiting Professor of Mathematics at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. He regularly taught a mathematics course for liberal arts students that drew heavily on the historical development of the subject. He is the author or a co-author of several college texts for liberal arts mathematics, including A Mathematics Sampler (5th edition, 2001). He was also a Senior Writer for MATH Connections, a Standards-based secondary school core curriculum.

Fernando Q. Gouvêa was educated at the University of Sao Paulo and at Harvard University, where he received his PhD in Mathematics. He is Carter Professor of Mathematics at Colby College, where he teaches, among other things, a course on the history of mathematics. He was a participant in the Institute for the History of Mathematics and its Use in Teaching, organized by the Mathematical Association of America. Fernando was the editor of MAA Focus from 1999 to 2010, and he is now editor of MAA Reviews and of the Carus Mathematical Monographs series. In addition to this book, he has written p-adic Numbers: An Introduction (2nd edition, 1997), A Guide to Groups, Rings, and Fields (2012) and several other books, research papers, and expository articles.