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Mathematics in Society and History

Author : S. Restivo

Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media

Page : 215 pages

File Size : 23,3 MB

Release : 2013-12-01

Category : Science

ISBN : 9401129444

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Book Description

This is the first book by a sociologist devoted exclusively to a general sociology of mathematics. The author provides examples of different ways of thinking about mathematics sociologically. The survey of mathematical traditions covers ancient China, the Arabic-Islamic world, India, and Europe. Following the leads of classical social theorists such as Emile Durkheim, Restivo develops the idea that mathematical concepts and ideas are collective representations, and that it is mathematical communities that create mathematics, not individual mathematicians. The implications of the sociology of mathematics, and especially of pure mathematics, for a sociology of mind are also explored. In general, the author's objective is to explore, conjecture, suggest, and stimulate in order to introduce the sociological perspective on mathematics, and to broaden and deepen the still narrow, shallow path that today carries the sociology of mathematics. This book will interest specialists in the philosophy, history, and sociology of mathematics, persons interested in mathematics education, students of science and society, and people interested in current developments in the social and cultural analysis of science and mathematics.



Mathematics in Historical Context

Author : Jeff Suzuki

Publisher : MAA

Page : 432 pages

File Size : 38,53 MB

Release : 2009-08-27

Category : Mathematics

ISBN : 9780883855706

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Book Description

An exploration of the interaction between mathematics, mathematicians and society. What would Newton see if he looked out his window?



Mathematics and Its History

Author : John Stillwell

Publisher : Springer Nature

Page : 400 pages

File Size : 45,17 MB

Release : 2020-11-07

Category : Mathematics

ISBN : 3030551938

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Book Description

This textbook provides a unified and concise exploration of undergraduate mathematics by approaching the subject through its history. Readers will discover the rich tapestry of ideas behind familiar topics from the undergraduate curriculum, such as calculus, algebra, topology, and more. Featuring historical episodes ranging from the Ancient Greeks to Fermat and Descartes, this volume offers a glimpse into the broader context in which these ideas developed, revealing unexpected connections that make this ideal for a senior capstone course. The presentation of previous versions has been refined by omitting the less mainstream topics and inserting new connecting material, allowing instructors to cover the book in a one-semester course. This condensed edition prioritizes succinctness and cohesiveness, and there is a greater emphasis on visual clarity, featuring full color images and high quality 3D models. As in previous editions, a wide array of mathematical topics are covered, from geometry to computation; however, biographical sketches have been omitted. Mathematics and Its History: A Concise Edition is an essential resource for courses or reading programs on the history of mathematics. Knowledge of basic calculus, algebra, geometry, topology, and set theory is assumed. From reviews of previous editions: “Mathematics and Its History is a joy to read. The writing is clear, concise and inviting. The style is very different from a traditional text. I found myself picking it up to read at the expense of my usual late evening thriller or detective novel.... The author has done a wonderful job of tying together the dominant themes of undergraduate mathematics.” Richard J. Wilders, MAA, on the Third Edition "The book...is presented in a lively style without unnecessary detail. It is very stimulating and will be appreciated not only by students. Much attention is paid to problems and to the development of mathematics before the end of the nineteenth century.... This book brings to the non-specialist interested in mathematics many interesting results. It can be recommended for seminars and will be enjoyed by the broad mathematical community." European Mathematical Society, on the Second Edition



Social History of Nineteenth Century Mathematics

Author : Mehrtens

Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media

Page : 307 pages

File Size : 39,26 MB

Release : 2012-12-06

Category : Mathematics

ISBN : 1468494910

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Book Description

During the last few decades historians of science have shown a growing interest in science as a cultural activity and have regarded science more and more as part of the gene ral developments that have occurred in society. This trend has been less evident arnong historians of mathematics, who traditionally concentrate primarily on tracing the develop ment of mathematical knowledge itself. To some degree this restriction is connected with the special role of mathematics compared with the other sciences; mathematics typifies the most objective, most coercive type of knowledge, and there fore seems to be least affected by social influences. Nevertheless, biography, institutional history and his tory of national developments have long been elements in the historiography of mathematics. This interest in the social aspects of mathematics has widened recently through the stu dy of other themes, such as the relation of mathematics to the development of the educational system. Some scholars have begun to apply the methods of historical sociology of knowledge to mathematics; others have attempted to give a ix x Marxist analysis of the connection between mathematics and productive forces, and there have been philosophical studies about the communication processes involved in the production of mathematical knowledge. An interest in causal analyses of historical processes has led to the study of other factors influencing the development of mathematics, such as the f- mation of mathematical schools, the changes in the profes- onal situation of the mathematician and the general cultural milieu of the mathematical scientist.



Mathematics and Society

Author : Wolfgang König

Publisher :

Page : 314 pages

File Size : 48,24 MB

Release : 2016

Category : MATHEMATICS

ISBN : 9783037196649

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Book Description

The ubiquity and importance of mathematics in our complex society is generally not in doubt. However, even a scientifically interested layman would be hard pressed to point out aspects of our society where contemporary mathematical research is essential. Most popular examples are finance, engineering, wheather and industry, but the way mathematics comes into play is widely unknown in the public. And who thinks of application fields like biology, encryption, architecture, or voting systems? This volume comprises a number of success stories of mathematics in our society - important areas being shaped by cutting edge mathematical research. The authors are eminent mathematicians with a high sense for public presentation, addressing scientifically interested laymen as well as professionals in mathematics and its application disciplines.



Math in Society

Author : David Lippman

Publisher :

Page : 0 pages

File Size : 23,41 MB

Release : 2012-09-07

Category : Electronic books

ISBN : 9781479276530

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Book Description

Math in Society is a survey of contemporary mathematical topics, appropriate for a college-level topics course for liberal arts major, or as a general quantitative reasoning course.This book is an open textbook; it can be read free online at http://www.opentextbookstore.com/mathinsociety/. Editable versions of the chapters are available as well.



A History of Analysis

Author : Hans Niels Jahnke

Publisher : American Mathematical Soc.

Page : 434 pages

File Size : 21,99 MB

Release : 2003

Category : Mathematics

ISBN : 0821826239

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Book Description

Analysis as an independent subject was created as part of the scientific revolution in the seventeenth century. Kepler, Galileo, Descartes, Fermat, Huygens, Newton, and Leibniz, to name but a few, contributed to its genesis. Since the end of the seventeenth century, the historical progress of mathematical analysis has displayed unique vitality and momentum. No other mathematical field has so profoundly influenced the development of modern scientific thinking. Describing this multidimensional historical development requires an in-depth discussion which includes a reconstruction of general trends and an examination of the specific problems. This volume is designed as a collective work of authors who are proven experts in the history of mathematics. It clarifies the conceptual change that analysis underwent during its development while elucidating the influence of specific applications and describing the relevance of biographical and philosophical backgrounds. The first ten chapters of the book outline chronological development and the last three chapters survey the history of differential equations, the calculus of variations, and functional analysis. Special features are a separate chapter on the development of the theory of complex functions in the nineteenth century and two chapters on the influence of physics on analysis. One is about the origins of analytical mechanics, and one treats the development of boundary-value problems of mathematical physics (especially potential theory) in the nineteenth century. The book presents an accurate and very readable account of the history of analysis. Each chapter provides a comprehensive bibliography. Mathematical examples have been carefully chosen so that readers with a modest background in mathematics can follow them. It is suitable for mathematical historians and a general mathematical audience.



Research in History and Philosophy of Mathematics

Author : Maria Zack

Publisher : Birkhäuser

Page : 256 pages

File Size : 29,34 MB

Release : 2016-12-15

Category : Mathematics

ISBN : 3319466151

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Book Description

This volume contains seventeen papers that were presented at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the Canadian Society for History and Philosophy of Mathematics/La Société Canadienne d’Histoire et de Philosophie des Mathématiques, held in Washington, D.C. In addition to showcasing rigorously reviewed modern scholarship on an interesting variety of general topics in the history and philosophy of mathematics, this meeting also honored the memories of Jacqueline (Jackie) Stedall and Ivor Grattan-Guinness; celebrated the Centennial of the Mathematical Association of America; and considered the importance of mathematical communities in a special session. These themes and many others are explored in these collected papers, which cover subjects such as New evidence that the Latin translation of Euclid’s Elements was based on the Arabic version attributed to al-Ḥajjāj Work done on the arc rampant in the seventeenth century The history of numerical methods for finding roots of nonlinear equations An original play featuring a dialogue between George Boole and Augustus De Morgan that explores the relationship between them Key issues in the digital preservation of mathematical material for future generations A look at the first twenty-five years of The American Mathematical Monthly in the context of the evolving American mathematical community The growth of Math Circles and the unique ways they are being implemented in the United States Written by leading scholars in the field, these papers will be accessible to not only mathematicians and students of the history and philosophy of mathematics, but also anyone with a general interest in mathematics.



Mathematics in Ancient Iraq

Author : Eleanor Robson

Publisher : Princeton University Press

Page : 399 pages

File Size : 23,11 MB

Release : 2020-06-30

Category : Mathematics

ISBN : 0691201404

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Book Description

This monumental book traces the origins and development of mathematics in the ancient Middle East, from its earliest beginnings in the fourth millennium BCE to the end of indigenous intellectual culture in the second century BCE when cuneiform writing was gradually abandoned. Eleanor Robson offers a history like no other, examining ancient mathematics within its broader social, political, economic, and religious contexts, and showing that mathematics was not just an abstract discipline for elites but a key component in ordering society and understanding the world. The region of modern-day Iraq is uniquely rich in evidence for ancient mathematics because its prehistoric inhabitants wrote on clay tablets, many hundreds of thousands of which have been archaeologically excavated, deciphered, and translated. Drawing from these and a wealth of other textual and archaeological evidence, Robson gives an extraordinarily detailed picture of how mathematical ideas and practices were conceived, used, and taught during this period. She challenges the prevailing view that they were merely the simplistic precursors of classical Greek mathematics, and explains how the prevailing view came to be. Robson reveals the true sophistication and beauty of ancient Middle Eastern mathematics as it evolved over three thousand years, from the earliest beginnings of recorded accounting to complex mathematical astronomy. Every chapter provides detailed information on sources, and the book includes an appendix on all mathematical cuneiform tablets published before 2007.



The History of Mathematics: A Very Short Introduction

Author : Jacqueline Stedall

Publisher : Oxford University Press

Page : 145 pages

File Size : 36,75 MB

Release : 2012-02-23

Category : Mathematics

ISBN : 0199599688

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Book Description

In this Very Short Introduction, Jacqueline Stedall explores the rich historical and cultural diversity of mathematical endeavour from the distant past to the present day, using illustrative case studies drawn from a range of times and places; including early imperial China, the medieval Islamic world, and nineteenth-century Britain.