The Charles S. Peirce-Simon Newcomb Correspondence
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Mathematics Is a Gentleman's Art: Analysis and Synthesis in American College Geometry Teaching, 1790-1840 Amy K
Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Retrospective Theses and Dissertations Dissertations 2000 Mathematics is a gentleman's art: Analysis and synthesis in American college geometry teaching, 1790-1840 Amy K. Ackerberg-Hastings Iowa State University Follow this and additional works at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd Part of the Higher Education and Teaching Commons, History of Science, Technology, and Medicine Commons, and the Science and Mathematics Education Commons Recommended Citation Ackerberg-Hastings, Amy K., "Mathematics is a gentleman's art: Analysis and synthesis in American college geometry teaching, 1790-1840 " (2000). Retrospective Theses and Dissertations. 12669. https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd/12669 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Dissertations at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Retrospective Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Iowa State University Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margwis, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. in the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. -
Downloaded from Brill.Com09/24/2021 10:06:53AM Via Free Access 268 Revue De Synthèse : TOME 139 7E SÉRIE N° 3-4 (2018) Chercheur Pour IBM
REVUE DE SYNTHÈSE : TOME 139 7e SÉRIE N° 3-4 (2018) 267-288 brill.com/rds A Task that Exceeded the Technology: Early Applications of the Computer to the Lunar Three-body Problem Allan Olley* Abstract: The lunar Three-Body problem is a famously intractable problem of Newtonian mechanics. The demand for accurate predictions of lunar motion led to practical approximate solutions of great complexity, constituted by trigonometric series with hundreds of terms. Such considerations meant there was demand for high speed machine computation from astronomers during the earliest stages of computer development. One early innovator in this regard was Wallace J. Eckert, a Columbia University professor of astronomer and IBM researcher. His work illustrates some interesting features of the interaction between computers and astronomy. Keywords: history of astronomy – three body problem – history of computers – Wallace J. Eckert Une tâche excédant la technologie : l’utilisation de l’ordinateur dans le problème lunaire des trois corps Résumé : Le problème des trois corps appliqué à la lune est un problème classique de la mécanique newtonienne, connu pour être insoluble avec des méthodes exactes. La demande pour des prévisions précises du mouvement lunaire menait à des solutions d’approximation pratiques qui étaient d’une complexité considérable, avec des séries tri- gonométriques contenant des centaines de termes. Cela a très tôt poussé les astronomes à chercher des outils de calcul et ils ont été parmi les premiers à utiliser des calculatrices rapides, dès les débuts du développement des ordinateurs modernes. Un innovateur des ces années-là est Wallace J. Eckert, professeur d’astronomie à Columbia University et * Allan Olley, born in 1979, he obtained his PhD-degree from the Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science Technology (IHPST), University of Toronto in 2011. -
Joseph Henry
MEMOIR JOSEPH HENRY. SIMON NEWCOMB. BEAD BEFORE THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OP SCIENCES, APRIL 21, 1880. (1) BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIR OF JOSEPH HENRY. In presenting to the Academy the following notice of its late lamented President the writer feels that an apology is due for the imperfect manner in which he has been obliged to perform the duty assigned him. The very richness of the material has been a source of embarrassment. Few have any conception of the breadth of the field occupied by Professor Henry's researches, or of the number of scientific enterprises of which he was either the originator or the effective supporter. What, under the cir- cumstances, could be said within a brief space to show what the world owes to him has already been so well said by others that it would be impracticable to make a really new presentation without writing a volume. The Philosophical Society of this city has issued two notices which together cover almost the whole ground that the writer feels competent to occupy. The one is a personal biography—the affectionate and eloquent tribute of an old and attached friend; the other an exhaustive analysis of his scientific labors by an honored member of the society well known for his philosophic acumen.* The Regents of the Smithsonian Institution made known their indebtedness to his administration in the memorial services held in his honor in the Halls of Congress. Under these circumstances the onl}*- practicable course has seemed to be to give a condensed resume of Professor Henry's life and works, by which any small occasional gaps in previous notices might be filled. -
A Century of Mathematics in America, Peter Duren Et Ai., (Eds.), Vol
Garrett Birkhoff has had a lifelong connection with Harvard mathematics. He was an infant when his father, the famous mathematician G. D. Birkhoff, joined the Harvard faculty. He has had a long academic career at Harvard: A.B. in 1932, Society of Fellows in 1933-1936, and a faculty appointmentfrom 1936 until his retirement in 1981. His research has ranged widely through alge bra, lattice theory, hydrodynamics, differential equations, scientific computing, and history of mathematics. Among his many publications are books on lattice theory and hydrodynamics, and the pioneering textbook A Survey of Modern Algebra, written jointly with S. Mac Lane. He has served as president ofSIAM and is a member of the National Academy of Sciences. Mathematics at Harvard, 1836-1944 GARRETT BIRKHOFF O. OUTLINE As my contribution to the history of mathematics in America, I decided to write a connected account of mathematical activity at Harvard from 1836 (Harvard's bicentennial) to the present day. During that time, many mathe maticians at Harvard have tried to respond constructively to the challenges and opportunities confronting them in a rapidly changing world. This essay reviews what might be called the indigenous period, lasting through World War II, during which most members of the Harvard mathe matical faculty had also studied there. Indeed, as will be explained in §§ 1-3 below, mathematical activity at Harvard was dominated by Benjamin Peirce and his students in the first half of this period. Then, from 1890 until around 1920, while our country was becoming a great power economically, basic mathematical research of high quality, mostly in traditional areas of analysis and theoretical celestial mechanics, was carried on by several faculty members. -
Physics and Astronomy (Classes QB, QC, and Selected Portions of Z)
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS COLLECTIONS POLICY STATEMENTS Physics and Astronomy (Classes QB, QC, and selected portions of Z) Contents I. Scope II. Research strengths III. Collecting policy IV. Acquisition sources V. Best editions and preferred formats VI. Collecting levels I. Scope The Collections Policy Statement on Physics and Astronomy covers the subclasses of QB (Astronomy) and QC (Physics), as well as the corresponding subclasses of Class Z. In addition, some of the numerous abstracting and indexing services, catalogs of other scientific libraries, and specialized bibliographic finding aids for these fields are classed in Z. See also the related Collections Policy Statements for Chemical Sciences and Technology. II. Research strengths A. General The Library’s collecting strength in subclasses QB and QC is generally at the research level. The Library has long runs of many important serials such as American Journal of Physics, Journal of Applied Physics, Journal of the British Astronomical Association, and other publications of notable societies and associations, as well as the major abstracting and indexing services in physics and astronomy including Science Abstracts. Series A, Physics Abstracts, and its predecessors, and Astronomischer Jahresbericht and its successor, Astronomy and Astrophysics Abstracts. The Library’s extensive general collections in physics and astronomy are further enhanced by the numerous technical reports held in the Automation, Collections Support & Technical Reports Section, and by specialized materials held by the Manuscript, Rare Book and Special Collections, Geography and Map, and Prints and Photographs Divisions. In addition, the Library’s already extensive collection of U.S. astronomy and physics dissertations in microform is now supplemented by the digital dissertations archive from the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global database. -
Middlesex University Research Repository
Middlesex University Research Repository An open access repository of Middlesex University research http://eprints.mdx.ac.uk Delve, Janet (1999) The development of the mathematical department of the Educational Times from 1847 to 1862. PhD thesis, Middlesex University. Available from Middlesex University’s Research Repository at http://eprints.mdx.ac.uk/7993/ Copyright: Middlesex University Research Repository makes the University’s research available electronically. Copyright and moral rights to this thesis/research project are retained by the author and/or other copyright owners. The work is supplied on the understanding that any use for commercial gain is strictly forbidden. A copy may be downloaded for personal, non- commercial, research or study without prior permission and without charge. Any use of the thesis/research project for private study or research must be properly acknowledged with reference to the work’s full bibliographic details. This thesis/research project may not be reproduced in any format or medium, or extensive quotations taken from it, or its content changed in any way, without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder(s). If you believe that any material held in the repository infringes copyright law, please contact the Repository Team at Middlesex University via the following email address: [email protected] The item will be removed from the repository while any claim is being investigated. MX 7226926 X Contents ABSTRACT Mathematics held an important place in the first twelve of years of the Educational Times (1847-1923), and in November 1848 a department of mathematical questions and solutions was launched. In 1864 this department was reprinted in a daughter journal: Mathematical Questions with Their solutions from The Educational Times (MQ). -
EJC Cover Page
Early Journal Content on JSTOR, Free to Anyone in the World This article is one of nearly 500,000 scholarly works digitized and made freely available to everyone in the world by JSTOR. Known as the Early Journal Content, this set of works include research articles, news, letters, and other writings published in more than 200 of the oldest leading academic journals. The works date from the mid-seventeenth to the early twentieth centuries. We encourage people to read and share the Early Journal Content openly and to tell others that this resource exists. People may post this content online or redistribute in any way for non-commercial purposes. Read more about Early Journal Content at http://about.jstor.org/participate-jstor/individuals/early- journal-content. JSTOR is a digital library of academic journals, books, and primary source objects. JSTOR helps people discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content through a powerful research and teaching platform, and preserves this content for future generations. JSTOR is part of ITHAKA, a not-for-profit organization that also includes Ithaka S+R and Portico. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. PUBLICATIONS OF THE AstronomicalSociety of the Pacific. Vol. XXI. San Francisco, California, April 10, 1909. No. 125 ADDRESS OF THE RETIRING PRESIDENT OF THE SOCIETY, IN AWARDING THE BRUCE MEDAL TO DR. GEORGE WILLIAM HILL. By Charles Burckhalter. The eighthaward of the BruceGold Medal of thisSociety has beenmade to Dr. GeorgeWilliam Hill. To thosehaving understanding of the statutes,and the methodgoverning the bestowal of the medal,it goes without sayingthat it is always worthilybestowed. -
The Generalization of Logic According to G.Boole, A.De Morgan
South American Journal of Logic Vol. 3, n. 2, pp. 415{481, 2017 ISSN: 2446-6719 Squaring the unknown: The generalization of logic according to G. Boole, A. De Morgan, and C. S. Peirce Cassiano Terra Rodrigues Abstract This article shows the development of symbolic mathematical logic in the works of G. Boole, A. De Morgan, and C. S. Peirce. Starting from limitations found in syllogistic, Boole devised a calculus for what he called the algebra of logic. Modifying the interpretation of categorial proposi- tions to make them agree with algebraic equations, Boole was able to show an isomorphism between the calculus of classes and of propositions, being indeed the first to mathematize logic. Having a different purport than Boole's system, De Morgan's is conceived as an improvement on syllogistic and as an instrument for the study of it. With a very unusual system of symbols of his own, De Morgan develops the study of logical relations that are defined by the very operation of signs. Although his logic is not a Boolean algebra of logic, Boole took from De Morgan at least one central notion, namely, the one of a universe of discourse. Peirce crit- ically sets out both from Boole and from De Morgan. Firstly, claiming Boole had exaggeratedly submitted logic to mathematics, Peirce strives to distinguish the nature and the purpose of each discipline. Secondly, identifying De Morgan's limitations in his rigid restraint of logic to the study of relations, Peirce develops compositions of relations with classes. From such criticisms, Peirce not only devises a multiple quantification theory, but also construes a very original and strong conception of logic as a normative science. -
Peirce for Whitehead Handbook
For M. Weber (ed.): Handbook of Whiteheadian Process Thought Ontos Verlag, Frankfurt, 2008, vol. 2, 481-487 Charles S. Peirce (1839-1914) By Jaime Nubiola1 1. Brief Vita Charles Sanders Peirce [pronounced "purse"], was born on 10 September 1839 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Sarah and Benjamin Peirce. His family was already academically distinguished, his father being a professor of astronomy and mathematics at Harvard. Though Charles himself received a graduate degree in chemistry from Harvard University, he never succeeded in obtaining a tenured academic position. Peirce's academic ambitions were frustrated in part by his difficult —perhaps manic-depressive— personality, combined with the scandal surrounding his second marriage, which he contracted soon after his divorce from Harriet Melusina Fay. He undertook a career as a scientist for the United States Coast Survey (1859- 1891), working especially in geodesy and in pendulum determinations. From 1879 through 1884, he was a part-time lecturer in Logic at Johns Hopkins University. In 1887, Peirce moved with his second wife, Juliette Froissy, to Milford, Pennsylvania, where in 1914, after 26 years of prolific and intense writing, he died of cancer. He had no children. Peirce published two books, Photometric Researches (1878) and Studies in Logic (1883), and a large number of papers in journals in widely differing areas. His manuscripts, a great many of which remain unpublished, run to some 100,000 pages. In 1931-58, a selection of his writings was arranged thematically and published in eight volumes as the Collected Papers of Charles Sanders Peirce. Beginning in 1982, a number of volumes have been published in the series A Chronological Edition, which will ultimately consist of thirty volumes. -
Peirce and the Founding of American Sociology
Journal of Classical Sociology Copyright © 2006 SAGE Publications London, Thousand Oaks and New Delhi Vol 6(1): 23–50 DOI: 10.1177/1468795X06061283 www.sagepublications.com Peirce and the Founding of American Sociology NORBERT WILEY University of Illinois, Urbana ABSTRACT This paper argues that Charles Sanders Peirce contributed signific- antly to the founding of American sociology, doing so at the level of philosophical presuppositions or meta-sociology. I emphasize two of his ideas. One is semiotics, which is virtually the same as the anthropologists’ concept of culture. This latter concept in turn was essential to clarifying the sociologists’ idea of the social or society. Peirce also created the modern theory of the dialogical self, which explained the symbolic character of human beings and proved foundational for social psychology. Politically Peirce was a right-wing conservative, but his ideas eventually contributed to the egalitarian views of culures and sub-cultures. In addition his ideas contributed, by way of unanticipated consequences, to the 20th- century human rights revolutions in the American legal system. Thus he was both a founder of sociology and a founder of American political liberalism. KEYWORDS early American sociology, inner speech, Peirce, semiotics Introduction Charles Sanders Peirce (1839–1914) originated several ideas that contributed to social theory, particularly to its philosophical underpinnings. Some of these are in unfamiliar contexts and in need of a slight re-framing or re-conceptualization. They also need to be related to each other. But, assuming these finishing touches, Peirce hadFirst a cluster of powerful insights that tradeProof heavily on the notions of the symbolic, the semiotic, the dialogical, the cultural and the self – ideas central to social theory. -
Moon-Earth-Sun: the Oldest Three-Body Problem
Moon-Earth-Sun: The oldest three-body problem Martin C. Gutzwiller IBM Research Center, Yorktown Heights, New York 10598 The daily motion of the Moon through the sky has many unusual features that a careful observer can discover without the help of instruments. The three different frequencies for the three degrees of freedom have been known very accurately for 3000 years, and the geometric explanation of the Greek astronomers was basically correct. Whereas Kepler’s laws are sufficient for describing the motion of the planets around the Sun, even the most obvious facts about the lunar motion cannot be understood without the gravitational attraction of both the Earth and the Sun. Newton discussed this problem at great length, and with mixed success; it was the only testing ground for his Universal Gravitation. This background for today’s many-body theory is discussed in some detail because all the guiding principles for our understanding can be traced to the earliest developments of astronomy. They are the oldest results of scientific inquiry, and they were the first ones to be confirmed by the great physicist-mathematicians of the 18th century. By a variety of methods, Laplace was able to claim complete agreement of celestial mechanics with the astronomical observations. Lagrange initiated a new trend wherein the mathematical problems of mechanics could all be solved by the same uniform process; canonical transformations eventually won the field. They were used for the first time on a large scale by Delaunay to find the ultimate solution of the lunar problem by perturbing the solution of the two-body Earth-Moon problem. -