Mathematics and Its History Kindle
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Load more
Recommended publications
-
Two Editions of Ibn Al-Haytham's Completion of the Conics
Historia Mathematica 29 (2002), 247–265 doi:10.1006/hmat.2002.2352 Two Editions of Ibn al-Haytham’s Completion of the Conics View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE Jan P. Hogendijk provided by Elsevier - Publisher Connector Mathematics Department, University of Utrecht, P.O. Box 80.010, 3508 TA Utrecht, Netherlands E-mail: [email protected] The lost Book VIII of the Conics of Apollonius of Perga (ca. 200 B.C.) was reconstructed by the Islamic mathematician Ibn al-Haytham (ca. A.D. 965–1041) in his Completion of the Conics. The Arabic text of this reconstruction with English translation and commentary was published as J. P. Hogendijk, Ibn al-Haytham’s Completion of the Conics (New York: Springer-Verlag, 1985). In a new Arabic edition with French translation and commentary (R. Rashed, Les mathematiques´ infinitesimales´ du IXe au XIe siecle.´ Vol. 3., London: Al-Furqan Foundation, 2000), it was claimed that my edition is faulty. In this paper the similarities and differences between the two editions, translations, and commentaries are discussed, with due consideration for readers who do not know Arabic. The facts will speak for themselves. C 2002 Elsevier Science (USA) C 2002 Elsevier Science (USA) C 2002 Elsevier Science (USA) 247 0315-0860/02 $35.00 C 2002 Elsevier Science (USA) All rights reserved. 248 JAN P. HOGENDIJK HMAT 29 AMS subject classifications: 01A20, 01A30. Key Words: Ibn al-Haytham; conic sections; multiple editions; Rashed. 1. INTRODUCTION The Conics of Apollonius of Perga (ca. 200 B.C.) is one of the fundamental texts of ancient Greek geometry. -
History of Mathematics in Mathematics Education. Recent Developments Kathy Clark, Tinne Kjeldsen, Sebastian Schorcht, Constantinos Tzanakis, Xiaoqin Wang
History of mathematics in mathematics education. Recent developments Kathy Clark, Tinne Kjeldsen, Sebastian Schorcht, Constantinos Tzanakis, Xiaoqin Wang To cite this version: Kathy Clark, Tinne Kjeldsen, Sebastian Schorcht, Constantinos Tzanakis, Xiaoqin Wang. History of mathematics in mathematics education. Recent developments. History and Pedagogy of Mathematics, Jul 2016, Montpellier, France. hal-01349230 HAL Id: hal-01349230 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01349230 Submitted on 27 Jul 2016 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. HISTORY OF MATHEMATICS IN MATHEMATICS EDUCATION Recent developments Kathleen CLARK, Tinne Hoff KJELDSEN, Sebastian SCHORCHT, Constantinos TZANAKIS, Xiaoqin WANG School of Teacher Education, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4459, USA [email protected] Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark [email protected] Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany [email protected] Department of Education, University of Crete, Rethymnon 74100, Greece [email protected] Department of Mathematics, East China Normal University, China [email protected] ABSTRACT This is a survey on the recent developments (since 2000) concerning research on the relations between History and Pedagogy of Mathematics (the HPM domain). Section 1 explains the rationale of the study and formulates the key issues. -
Roman Numerals
History of Numbers 1c. I can distinguish between an additive and positional system, and convert between Roman and Hindu-Arabic numbers. Roman Numerals The numeric system represented by Roman numerals originated in ancient Rome (753 BC–476 AD) and remained the usual way of writing numbers throughout Europe well into the Late Middle Ages. By the 11th century, the more efJicient Hindu–Arabic numerals had been introduced into Europe by way of Arab traders. Roman numerals, however, remained in commo use well into the 14th and 15th centuries, even in accounting and other business records (where the actual calculations would have been made using an abacus). Roman numerals are still used today, in certain contexts. See: Modern Uses of Roman Numerals Numbers in this system are represented by combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet. Roman numerals, as used today, are based on seven symbols: The numbers 1 to 10 are expressed in Roman numerals as: I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X. This an additive system. Numbers are formed by combining symbols and adding together their values. For example, III is three (three ones) and XIII is thirteen (a ten plus three ones). Because each symbol (I, V, X ...) has a Jixed value rather than representing multiples of ten, one hundred and so on (according to the numeral's position) there is no need for “place holding” zeros, as in numbers like 207 or 1066. Using Roman numerals, those numbers are written as CCVII (two hundreds, plus a ive and two ones) and MLXVI (a thousand plus a ifty plus a ten, a ive and a one). -
The Natures of Numbers in and Around Bombelli's L
THE NATURES OF NUMBERS IN AND AROUND BOMBELLI’S L’ALGEBRA ROY WAGNER Abstract. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the mathematical practices leading to Rafael Bombelli’s L’algebra (1572). The context for the analysis is the Italian algebra practiced by abbacus masters and Re- naissance mathematicians of the 14th–16th centuries. We will focus here on the semiotic aspects of algebraic practices and on the organisation of knowledge. Our purpose is to show how symbols that stand for under- determined meanings combine with shifting principles of organisation to change the character of algebra. 1. Introduction 1.1. Scope and methodology. In the year 1572 Rafael Bombelli’s L’algebra came out in print. This book, which covers arithmetic, algebra and geom- etry, is best known for one major feat: the first recorded use of roots of negative numbers to find a real solution of a real problem. The purpose of this paper is to understand the semiotic processes that enabled this and other, less ‘heroic’ achievements laid out in Bombelli’s work. The context for my analysis of Bombelli’s work is the vernacular abba- cus1 tradition spanning across two centuries, from a time where almost all problems that are done in the abbacus way reduce to the rule of three2 to the Renaissance solution of the cubic and quartic equations, and from the abbacus masters, who taught elementary mathematics to merchant children, through to humanist scholars. My purpose is to track down sign Part of the research for this paper was conducted while visiting Boston University’s Center for the Philosophy of Science, the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science and the Edelstein Center for the History and Philosophy of Science, Technology and Medicine. -
By the Persian Mathematician and Engineer Abubakr
1 2 The millennium old hydrogeology textbook “The Extraction of Hidden Waters” by the Persian 3 mathematician and engineer Abubakr Mohammad Karaji (c. 953 – c. 1029) 4 5 Behzad Ataie-Ashtiania,b, Craig T. Simmonsa 6 7 a National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training and College of Science & Engineering, 8 Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia 9 b Department of Civil Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran, 10 [email protected] (B. Ataie-Ashtiani) 11 [email protected] (C. T. Simmons) 12 13 14 15 Hydrology and Earth System Sciences (HESS) 16 Special issue ‘History of Hydrology’ 17 18 Guest Editors: Okke Batelaan, Keith Beven, Chantal Gascuel-Odoux, Laurent Pfister, and Roberto Ranzi 19 20 1 21 22 Abstract 23 We revisit and shed light on the millennium old hydrogeology textbook “The Extraction of Hidden Waters” by the 24 Persian mathematician and engineer Karaji. Despite the nature of the understanding and conceptualization of the 25 world by the people of that time, ground-breaking ideas and descriptions of hydrological and hydrogeological 26 perceptions such as components of hydrological cycle, groundwater quality and even driving factors for 27 groundwater flow were presented in the book. Although some of these ideas may have been presented elsewhere, 28 to the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that a whole book was focused on different aspects of hydrology 29 and hydrogeology. More importantly, we are impressed that the book is composed in a way that covered all aspects 30 that are related to an engineering project including technical and construction issues, guidelines for maintenance, 31 and final delivery of the project when the development and construction was over. -
The What and Why of Whole Number Arithmetic: Foundational Ideas from History, Language and Societal Changes
Portland State University PDXScholar Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Fariborz Maseeh Department of Mathematics Publications and Presentations and Statistics 3-2018 The What and Why of Whole Number Arithmetic: Foundational Ideas from History, Language and Societal Changes Xu Hu Sun University of Macau Christine Chambris Université de Cergy-Pontoise Judy Sayers Stockholm University Man Keung Siu University of Hong Kong Jason Cooper Weizmann Institute of Science SeeFollow next this page and for additional additional works authors at: https:/ /pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/mth_fac Part of the Science and Mathematics Education Commons Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Citation Details Sun X.H. et al. (2018) The What and Why of Whole Number Arithmetic: Foundational Ideas from History, Language and Societal Changes. In: Bartolini Bussi M., Sun X. (eds) Building the Foundation: Whole Numbers in the Primary Grades. New ICMI Study Series. Springer, Cham This Book Chapter is brought to you for free and open access. It has been accepted for inclusion in Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations by an authorized administrator of PDXScholar. Please contact us if we can make this document more accessible: [email protected]. Authors Xu Hu Sun, Christine Chambris, Judy Sayers, Man Keung Siu, Jason Cooper, Jean-Luc Dorier, Sarah Inés González de Lora Sued, Eva Thanheiser, Nadia Azrou, Lynn McGarvey, Catherine Houdement, and Lisser Rye Ejersbo This book chapter is available at PDXScholar: https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/mth_fac/253 Chapter 5 The What and Why of Whole Number Arithmetic: Foundational Ideas from History, Language and Societal Changes Xu Hua Sun , Christine Chambris Judy Sayers, Man Keung Siu, Jason Cooper , Jean-Luc Dorier , Sarah Inés González de Lora Sued , Eva Thanheiser , Nadia Azrou , Lynn McGarvey , Catherine Houdement , and Lisser Rye Ejersbo 5.1 Introduction Mathematics learning and teaching are deeply embedded in history, language and culture (e.g. -
Ancient Indian Mathematical Evolution Since Counting
Journal of Statistics and Mathematical Engineering e-ISSN: 2581-7647 Volume 5 Issue 3 Ancient Indian Mathematical Evolution since Counting 1 2 Sankar Prasad Mukherjee , Sandip Ghanta* 1Research Guide, 2Research Scholar 1,2Department of Mathematics, Seacom Skills University, Kolkata, West Bengal, India Email: *[email protected] DOI: Abstract This paper is an endeavor how chronologically since inception and into growth of mathematics occurred in Ancient India with an effort of counting to establish the numeral system through different ages, i.e., Rigveda, Yajurvada, Buddhist, Indo-Bactrian, Bramhi, Gupta and Devanagari Periods. Ancient India’s such contribution was of immense value helped to accelerate the progress of Mathematical development up to modern age as we see today. Keywords: Brahmi numerals, centesimal scale, devanagari, rigveda, kharosthi numerals, yajurveda INTRODUCTION main striking feature being counting and This research paper is an endeavor to evolution of numeral system thereby. synchronize all the historical research with essence of pre-historic and post-historic Mathematical Evolution in Vedic Period respectively interwoven into a texture of Decimal Number System in the Rigveda evolution process of Mathematics. The first Numbers are represented in decimal system form of writing human race was not (i.e., base 10) in the Rigveda, in all other literature but Mathematics. Arithmetic Vedic treatises, and in all subsequent Indian what is today was felt as an essential need texts. No other base occurs in ancient for day to day necessity of human race. In Indian texts, except a few instances of base various countries at various point of time, 100 (or higher powers of 10). -
Hong Jeongha's Tianyuanshu and Zhengcheng Kaifangfa
Journal for History of Mathematics http://dx.doi.org/10.14477/jhm.2014.27.3.155 Vol. 27 No. 3 (June 2014), 155–164 Hong JeongHa’s Tianyuanshu and Zhengcheng Kaifangfa 洪正夏의 天元術과 增乘開方法 Hong Sung Sa 홍성사 Hong Young Hee 홍영희 Kim Young Wook* 김영욱 Tianyuanshu and Zengcheng Kaifangfa introduced in the Song–Yuan dynasties and their contribution to the theory of equations are one of the most important achieve- ments in the history of Chinese mathematics. Furthermore, they became the most fundamental subject in the history of East Asian mathematics as well. The opera- tions, or the mathematical structure of polynomials have been overlooked by tra- ditional mathematics books. Investigation of GuIlJib (九一集) of Joseon mathemati- cian Hong JeongHa reveals thatQ Hong’s approach to polynomials is highly struc- n tural. For the expansion of k=1(x + ak), Hong invented a new method which we name Hong JeongHa’s synthetic expansion. Using this, he reveals that the pro- cesses in Zhengcheng Kaifangfa is not synthetic division but synthetic expansion. Keywords: Hong JeongHa, GuIlJib, Hong JeongHa’s synthetic expansion, Tianyuan- shu, Structure of polynomials, Binomial coefficients, Zhengcheng Kaifangfa, Shisuo Kaifangfa; 洪正夏, 九一集, 洪正夏의 組立展開, 天元術, 多項式의 構造, 二項係數, 增乘開 方法, 釋鎖開方法. MSC: 01A13, 01A25, 01A45, 01A50, 12–03, 12E05, 12E12 1 Introduction The theory of equations in Eastern mathematics has as long a history as that in the West and divides into two parts, namely constructing equations and solving them. For the former, Tianyuanshu (天元術) was introduced in the early period of the Song dynasty (960–1279) and then extended up to Siyuanshu (四元術) to repre- sent polynomials of four indeterminates by Zhu Shijie (朱世傑) in his Siyuan Yujian (四元玉鑑, 1303). -
Crowdsourcing
CROWDSOURCING The establishment of the ZerOrigIndia Foundation is predicated on a single premise, namely, that our decades-long studies indicate that there are sound reasons to assume that facilitating further independent scientific research into the origin of the zero digit as numeral may lead to theoretical insights and practical innovations equal to or perhaps even exceeding the revolutionary progress to which the historic emergence of the zero digit in India somewhere between 200 BCE and 500 CE has led across the planet, in the fields of mathematics, science and technology since its first emergence. No one to date can doubt the astounding utility of the tenth and last digit to complete the decimal system, yet the origin of the zero digit is shrouded in mystery to this day. It is high time, therefore, that a systematic and concerted effort is undertaken by a multidisciplinary team of experts to unearth any extant evidence bearing on the origin of the zero digit in India. The ZerOrigIndia Foundation is intended to serve as instrument to collect the requisite funds to finance said independent scientific research in a timely and effective manner. Research Academics and researchers worldwide are invited to join our efforts to unearth any extant evidence of the zero digit in India. The ZerOrigIndia Foundation will facilitate the research in various ways, chief among which is to engage in fundraising to finance projects related to our objective. Academics and researchers associated with reputed institutions of higher learning are invited to monitor progress reported by ZerOrigIndia Foundation, make suggestions and/or propose their own research projects to achieve the avowed aim. -
Numerical Notation: a Comparative History
This page intentionally left blank Numerical Notation Th is book is a cross-cultural reference volume of all attested numerical notation systems (graphic, nonphonetic systems for representing numbers), encompassing more than 100 such systems used over the past 5,500 years. Using a typology that defi es progressive, unilinear evolutionary models of change, Stephen Chrisomalis identifi es fi ve basic types of numerical notation systems, using a cultural phylo- genetic framework to show relationships between systems and to create a general theory of change in numerical systems. Numerical notation systems are prima- rily representational systems, not computational technologies. Cognitive factors that help explain how numerical systems change relate to general principles, such as conciseness and avoidance of ambiguity, which also apply to writing systems. Th e transformation and replacement of numerical notation systems relate to spe- cifi c social, economic, and technological changes, such as the development of the printing press and the expansion of the global world-system. Stephen Chrisomalis is an assistant professor of anthropology at Wayne State Uni- versity in Detroit, Michigan. He completed his Ph.D. at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, where he studied under the late Bruce Trigger. Chrisomalis’s work has appeared in journals including Antiquity, Cambridge Archaeological Jour- nal, and Cross-Cultural Research. He is the editor of the Stop: Toutes Directions project and the author of the academic weblog Glossographia. Numerical Notation A Comparative History Stephen Chrisomalis Wayne State University CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo, Delhi, Dubai, Tokyo Cambridge University Press The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 8RU, UK Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521878180 © Stephen Chrisomalis 2010 This publication is in copyright. -
On Mathematical Symbols in China* by Fang Li and Yong Zhang†
On Mathematical Symbols in China* by Fang Li and Yong Zhang† Abstract. When studying the history of mathemati- cal symbols, one finds that the development of mathematical symbols in China is a significant piece of Chinese history; however, between the beginning of mathematics and modern day mathematics in China, there exists a long blank period. Let us focus on the development of Chinese mathematical symbols, and find out the significance of their origin, evolution, rise and fall within Chinese mathematics. The Origin of the Mathematical Symbols Figure 1. The symbols for numerals are the earliest math- ematical symbols. Ancient civilizations in Babylonia, derived from the word “white” (ⱑ) which symbolizes Egypt and Rome, which each had distinct writing sys- the human’s head in hieroglyphics. Similarly, the Chi- tems, independently developed mathematical sym- nese word “ten thousand” (ϛ) in Oracle Bone Script bols. Naturally, China did not fall behind. In the 16th was derived from the symbol for scorpion, possibly century BC, symbols for numerals, called Shang Or- because it is a creature found throughout rocks “in acle Numerals because they were used in the Oracle the thousands”. In Oracle Script, the multiples of ten, Bone Script, appeared in China as a set of thirteen hundred, thousand and ten thousand can be denoted numbers, seen below. (The original can be found in in two ways: one is called co-digital or co-text, which reference [2].) combines two single figures; another one is called Oracle Bone Script is a branch of hieroglyphics. analysis-word or a sub-word, which uses two sepa- In Figure 1, it is obvious that 1 to 4 are the hiero- rate symbols to represent a single meaning (see [5]). -
Renaissance Europe the 1500’S and Beyond
Renaissance Europe The 1500’s and Beyond • The Italian algebraists and their work on solutions to cubic and quartic polynomials is probably the most exciting story from the 1500’s. Even if some of it was made up. • But, there are a few things we should talk about before moving on to the (mathematically) exciting periods of the 1600’s and 1700’s. The Abacists vs Traditionalists • Dear Professor: You keep on using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means. • Abacists were abacists in the sense of Liber Abaci, that is, they used the Islamic tradition of decimal numbers and algorithms, and eschewed counting boards in favor of pencil and paper. The Abacists vs Traditionalists • The Abacists won, but it took a while. • “But what if you were stranded on a desert island without paper? Then you’d wish you’d studied how to use a counting board……” Rafael Bombelli • Rafael Bombelli (1526‐ 1572) • His family had been out of favor with local leaders. • Lived in Bologna and was tutored by an engineer/architect. • Worked as a hydraulic engineer, draining wetlands. Rafael Bombelli • While waiting for a certain project to recommence, decided to write an algebra book. • Published in three volumes (two volumes of geometry that were to follow were not published) Rafael Bombelli • Wrote down rules for negative numbers: • Plus times plus makes plus Minus times minus makes plus Plus times minus makes minus Minus times plus makes minus Plus 8 times plus 8 makes plus 64 Minus 5 times minus 6 makes plus 30 Minus 4 times plus 5 makes minus 20 Plus 5 times minus 4 makes minus 20 Rafael Bombelli • Wrote down rules for computing with complex numbers: • Plus of minus times plus of minus makes minus [+√‐n .