Euclid's Elements


Book Description

"The book includes introductions, terminology and biographical notes, bibliography, and an index and glossary" --from book jacket.




The Thirteen Books of Euclid's Elements


Book Description

Euclid's Elements is a mathematical and geometric treatise consisting of 13 books attributed to the ancient Greek mathematician Euclid in Alexandria, Ptolemaic Egypt circa 300 BC. It is a collection of definitions, postulates (axioms), propositions (theorems and constructions), and mathematical proofs of the propositions. The books cover Euclidean geometry and the ancient Greek version of elementary number theory. The work also includes an algebraic system that has become known as geometric algebra, which is powerful enough to solve many algebraic problems, including the problem of finding the square root of a number. Elements is the second-oldest extant Greek mathematical treatise after Autolycus' On the Moving Sphere, and it is the oldest extant axiomatic deductive treatment of mathematics. It has proven instrumental in the development of logic and modern science. According to Proclus, the term "element" was used to describe a theorem that is all-pervading and helps furnishing proofs of many other theorems. The word 'element' in the Greek language is the same as 'letter'. This suggests that theorems in the Elements should be seen as standing in the same relation to geometry as letters to language. Later commentators give a slightly different meaning to the term element, emphasizing how the propositions have progressed in small steps, and continued to build on previous propositions in a well-defined order.




The Elements


Book Description




The King of Infinite Space


Book Description

Geometry defines the world around us, helping us make sense of everything from architecture to military science to fashion. And for over two thousand years, geometry has been equated with Euclid's Elements, arguably the most influential book in the history of mathematics In The King of Infinite Space, renowned mathematics writer David Berlinski provides a concise homage to this elusive mathematician and his staggering achievements. Berlinski shows that, for centuries, scientists and thinkers from Copernicus to Newton to Einstein have relied on Euclid's axiomatic system, a method of proof still taught in classrooms around the world. Euclid's use of elemental logic -- and the mathematical statements he and others built from it -- have dramatically expanded the frontiers of human knowledge. The King of Infinite Space presents a rich, accessible treatment of Euclid and his beautifully simple geometric system, which continues to shape the way we see the world.




Euclid—The Creation of Mathematics


Book Description

Euclid presents the essential of mathematics in a manner which has set a high standard for more than 2000 years. This book, an explanation of the nature of mathematics from its most important early source, is for all lovers of mathematics with a solid background in high school geometry, whether they be students or university professors.




Euclid in China


Book Description

As part of the Jesuits' programme of introduction to European culture, in 1607 the Elements of Euclid (± 300 BC) were translated for the first time into Chinese. The translation of this epoch-making ancient Greek textbook on deductive geometry meant a confrontation of contemporary Chinese and European cultures. Part I of Peter Engelfriet's work deals mainly with the European and Chinese backgrounds, part II with linguistic and textual matters. In part III the manner in which learned Chinese tried to integrate this new knowledge into their own, Chinese, mathematical and cultural traditions comes to the fore. This fascinating work explores in depth and at various levels the circumstances and mechanisms that shaped the transmission of a key work of science from one language and cultural context onto another. Consequently it offers often surprising insights into the ways of intercultural exchange and misunderstandings.




The First Six Books of the Elements of Euclid


Book Description

This edition of the Elements of Euclid, undertaken at the request of the principalsof some of the leading Colleges and Schools of Ireland, is intended tosupply a want much felt by teachers at the present day-the production of awork which, while giving the unrivalled original in all its integrity, would alsocontain the modern conceptions and developments of the portion of Geometryover which the Elements extend. A cursory examination of the work will showthat the Editor has gone much further in this latter direction than any of hispredecessors, for it will be found to contain, not only more actual matter thanis given in any of theirs with which he is acquainted, but also much of a specialcharacter, which is not given, so far as he is aware, in any former work on thesubject. The great extension of geometrical methods in recent times has madesuch a work a necessity for the student, to enable him not only to read with advantage, but even to understand those mathematical writings of modern timeswhich require an accurate knowledge of Elementary Geometry, and to which itis in reality the best introduction




Euclid's Elements Book One with Questions for Discussion


Book Description

Presents Book One of Euclid's Elements for students in humanities and for general readers. This treatment raises deep questions about the nature of human reason and its relation to the world. Dana Densmore's Questions for Discussion are intended as examples, to urge readers to think more carefully about what they are watching unfold, and to help them find their own questions in a genuine and exhilarating inquiry.




Philosophy of Mathematics and Deductive Structure in Euclid's Elements


Book Description

A survey of Euclid's Elements, this text provides an understanding of the classical Greek conception of mathematics and its similarities to modern views as well as its differences. It focuses on philosophical, foundational, and logical questions -- rather than focusing strictly on historical and mathematical issues -- and features several helpful appendixes.




Euclid's Elements with Exercises Instructor's Copy


Book Description

The instructor's edition of Euclid's Elements With Exercises is intended as a guide for anyone teaching Euclid for the first time. Although it could be used by anyone, it was assembled and written with small schools or homeschooling groups in mind. In addition to containing the first six books in exactly the format of the student edition (also available on Amazon), the instructor's edition provides a concise overview of the course, including suggestions for conducting the class, a discussion of the organization of the material, brief comments on supplemental and memory work, and other details about which a new instructor might have questions. It also has notes for the teacher on each of the six books of the Elements, notes on selected exercises, and an appendix explaining the basics of formal reasoning, including an explanation of the converse and contrapositive of a statement and the concept of an indirect proof, which occurs early in Book I. The primary difference between this work and Euclid's Elements as it is usually presented (aside from the fact that there are some exercises), is that, while all of Books I - VI are included in the book, some propositions are omitted in the main body of the text (all omitted propositions are in Appendix A). This was done in order to be able to finish in two semesters all the plane geometry that would normally be covered in a modern geometry class. It should be noted, of course, that the flow of logic of the propositions is never interrupted. This book was not designed for the purist. Although it is pure Euclid and contains all of the first six books, it may offend the sensibilities of some who love Euclid (as the assembler/author does) to fail to place Book II in the expected flow of the main body of the text. For anyone not under a time constraint, or anyone moving quickly through the text, the author strongly recommends the inclusion of Book II in the course flow.