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CSHPM Bulletin, May 2015 BULLETIN May/mai 2015 Number/le numéro 56 WHAT’S INSIDE Articles Announcements . page 2 Quotations in Context [Mike Molinsky] . page 5 Off the Shelf: Horus [David Orenstein] . page 6 HPM Americas at Wabash & DC [Amy Ackerberg-Hastings] . page 8 MAA MathFest Centennial Events. .page 9 Ivor Grattan-Guinness (1941–2014) [Adrian Rice] . page 10 MAA Ohio Section Centennial [David Kullman] . page 17 Book Review: John Napier [Joel Silverberg] . page 17 Reports 2014 Financial Statements . page 10 2015 Meeting Outline [Maria Zack] . page 11 PSA President’s Lunch [Elaine Landry] . page 13 New Members . page 19 From the Editor . page 20 Canadian Society for History and Philosophy of Mathematics Société canadienne d’histoire et de philosophie des mathématiques ISSN 0835-5924 ABOUT THE SOCIETY Announcements Founded in 1974, the Canadian Society for the His- Congratulations to Glen Van Brummelen, 2015 recip- tory and Philosophy of Mathematics / Société cana- ient of the MAA Pacific Northwest Section’s Teaching dienne d’histoire et philosophie des mathématiques Award. This section is the largest geographically in (CSHPM/SCHPM) promotes research and teaching in the MAA, comprising over 130 colleges and universi- the history and philosophy of mathematics. Officers of ties from Oregon to Alaska. the Society are: Umberto Bottazzini received the 2015 AMS Albert President: Elaine Landry, UC Davis, Davis, CA Leon Whiteman Memorial Prize at the Joint Math- 95616, USA, [email protected] ematics Meetings in San Antonio for “his many works Vice-President: Dirk Schlimm, McGill University, in the history of mathematics, notably on the rise of Montréal, QC H3A 2T7, CA, dirk.schlimm@mcgill. modern mathematics in Italy and on analysis in the ca 19th and early 20th centuries.” Also in San Antonio, Secretary: Patricia Allaire, 14818 60th Ave., Flush- Mathematical Reviews celebrated its 75th anniversary. ing, NY 11355, USA, [email protected] Oxton House has issued a second edition of Math Treasurer: David Bellhouse, University of West- through the Ages, by William P. Berlinghoff and Fer- ern Ontario, London, ON N6A 5B7, CA, bellhouse@ nando Q. Gouvêa. The first edition has been adopted stats.uwo.ca as a text by more than 100 colleges and universities Past President: Glen Van Brummelen, Quest Uni- throughout the United States, and it has been trans- versity, Squamish, BC V8B 0N8, CA, [email protected] lated into Portuguese, Chinese, and Slovenian. It was awarded the Mathematical Association of America’s prestigious Beckenbach Book Prize in 2007. Members of Council Michel Serfati has published “Descartes et Schooten. Les aventures d’une division difficile”, Images des Craig Fraser, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON Mathématiques, CNRS, 2014, images.math.cnrs.fr/ M5S 2J7, CA, [email protected] Descartes-et-Schooten-Les.html; and “Order in Jean-Pierre Marquis, Université de Montréal, Mon- Descartes. Harmony in Leibniz: Two regulative princi- tréal, QC H3C 3J7, CA, jean-pierre.marquis@ ples of mathematical analysis”, Studia Leibnitiana 45, umontreal.ca no. 1 (2013): 59–96. Karen Hunger Parshall, University of Virginia, Janet Barnett, Dominic Klyve, Jerry Lodder, Daniel Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA, khp3k@eservices. Otero, Nicolas Scoville, and Diana White contributed virginia.edu “Using Primary Source Projects to Teach Mathemat- Joel Silverberg, Roger Williams University, Bristol, ics” to the AMS Blog On Teaching and Learning Math- RI 02809, USA, [email protected] ematics, 20 January 2015. Peter L. Griffiths’s article on Fermat’s Last Theorem The Society’s Web Page (www.cshpm.org) is main- appeared in the April 2014 issue of M500, a magazine tained by Michael Molinsky, University of Maine at founded in 1973 by Open University mathematics stu- Farmington, Farmington, ME 04938, USA, michael. dents. [email protected]. The Proceedings of the An- nual Meeting are edited by Maria Zack, Point Loma The inaugural Mahoney Prize, commemorating histo- Nazarene University, San Diego, CA 92106, USA, rian of science Michael S. Mahoney, will be awarded in [email protected]. The Society’s Archives are managed 2015. See www.sigcis.org/mahoneyprize. by Michael Molinsky (see above). The position of HOM SIGMAA News: Larry D’Antonio was CMS Liaison is vacant. elected Secretary/Treasurer. Toke Knudsen was elected New Members are most cordially welcome; please con- Program Coordinator. HOM SIGMAA will sponsor a tact the Secretary. reception for Karen Parshall during MathFest, August 5–8, 2015, in Washington, DC. The reception will be held on August 7. MathFest will feature several His- tory of Mathematics sessions. 2 Volume 5, issue 1 (January 2015) of the Journal of Hu- Mathematics, hosted by the Department of Mathemat- manistic Mathematics is now available at scholarship. ics & Computer Science at Adelphi University, pre- claremont.edu/jhm. It includes an article on the sented the following speakers in 2014–2015: Harold Ed- Smithsonian’s kinematic models by Amy Shell-Gellasch wards (NYU) on October 8; William Dunham (Muh- and first-day-of-class strategies for Calculus I by Mar- lenberg) on November 5; Jonathan Sondow on De- ion Cohen. An upcoming special issue will be de- cember 3; Michael J. Barany (Princeton) on March voted to “The Nature and Experience of Mathematical 4; Maria Zack (Point Loma Nazarene) on April 1; and Beauty.” The journal is also seeking referees. Rob Bradley (Adelphi) on May 6. Issue 02 of the Science Museum Group Journal is Michel Serfati announces the second semester program available at journal.sciencemuseum.ac.uk/issues/ for the annual seminar on Epistemology and History autumn-2014/. The National Maritime Museum’s ex- of Mathematical Ideas, held Wednesdays at 2:00 pm at hibition, Ships, Clocks & Stars is reviewed. the Institut Henri Poincaré in Paris: Bernard Leclerc See www.erittenhouse.org/ for recent articles on the (Caen), “Alain Lascoux: de la géométrie à la combi- history of scientific instruments in eRittenhouse. natoire” on February 4; Serge Grigorieff (Paris VII), “Émergence des modèles du concept de calculabilité” Princeton University Press, Tizra, Hebrew University on March 11; Emily Grosholz (Penn State), “Le raison- of Jerusalem, and California Institute of Technology nement ampliatif en théorie des nombres” on March 18; announce the launch of The Digital Einstein Papers. Jean-Paul Allouche (Inst. Math. Jussieu), “Quadra- See einsteinpapers.press.princeton.edu. ture et transcendance: Gregory et Leibniz”, and Michel Cambridge University Press and the British Society for Serfati (IREM), “La Quadrature Arithmétique du Cer- the History of Science have launched a peer-reviewed cle de 1673. Les idées mathématiques de Leibniz” on open access journal for the history of science, BJHS March 25; Sigmund Probst (Archives Leibniz), “La dis- Themes, edited by Jon Agar. Visit www.journals. cussion par Leibniz des mathématiques de Descartes au cambridge.org/BJHSThemes for information and to cours de son séjour à Paris (1673–1676)”, and Michel submit a proposal. Serfati (IREM), “De l’analyse mathématique. Ordre Doctoral dissertations pertaining to the history of sci- versus Harmonie. Descartes versus Leibniz” on April ence and medicine are compiled at www.hsls.pitt. 8; Michel Serfati (IREM), “‘Monsieur Descartes’ et edu/histmed/dissertations. Élisabeth de Bohème. D’une correspondance math- In May 2014, Kostas Kampourakis, Ron Numbers, ématique à la naissance d’une amitié ‘philosophique”’ and Nicolaas Rupke organized a conference on “New- on May 20 (letter-reading to follow); and Bodo Lass ton’s Apple and other Historical Myths about Sci- (CNRS), “Démonstration de la conjecture de Dumont” ence” at Washington & Lee University in Virginia. on May 27. Twenty-six myths were “busted” during the presen- Adrian Rice was the keynote speaker for BSHM’s Re- tations, and John L. Heilbron gave the keynote ad- search in Progress meeting at Queen’s College Oxford dress. An essay collection aimed at teachers is avail- on 21 February 2015. A BSHM/LMS joint celebration able at www.academia.edu/6412084/Newtons_Apple_ of Augustus de Morgan was held May 9; a meeting on and_other_Myths_about_Science. Symmetry and Groups will be held at Birkbeck College Speakers on the 2014–2015 schedule for the Philadel- on May 23; and a one-day conference on the history phia Area Seminar on the History of Mathemat- of the mathematics of space and relativity will be at ics (PASHoM) included: Peggy Kidwell (NMAH) Rewley House Oxford on June 20. on September 18; Victor Katz (UDC) on October Jim Tattersall and Fred Rickey organized a special ses- 23; Shelley Costa (Swarthmore) on November 20; sion on History and Philosophy of Mathematics for Stephanie Dick (Harvard) on December 4; William the AMS Eastern Section Spring Meeting at George- Noel (Penn) on January 22; Robert Bradley (Adel- town University, March 7–8. Speakers included: Karen phi) on February 19; Robert Naugle (Shepherd) on Parshall (Virginia); Andrew Fiss (Mich. Tech.); March 19; and Marianna Bonanome (Manhattan CC) Amy Ackerberg-Hastings (UMUC); Duncan Melville and Margaret H. Dean (CUNY) on April 16. (St. Lawrence); Chris Rorres (Penn); Peggy Kidwell The Frederick V. Pohle Colloquium on the History of (NMAH); Judy Green (Marymount); Lydia Patton 3 (Virginia Tech); Brit Shields (Penn); David L. Roberts ities in Cambridge is hosting a conference on “Objects (Prince George’s CC); Paul Wolfson (West Chester); in Motion: Material Culture in Transition,” June 18– Larry D’Antonio (Ramapo); Jesse Elliott (Cal State- 20. Channel Islands); Andrea Pedeferri (GWU); and Joe The Twelfth Biennial History of Astronomy Work- Mourad (Georgetown). shop will be held June 24–28 at the University of The MAA Seaway Section 2015 spring meeting was Notre Dame, with a side trip to the Adler Planetar- held April 17–18 at Colgate University and included ium and Astronomy Museum. Michio Yano, chief a session on “Preserving and Writing the History of editor of SCIAMVS, is the keynote speaker. See Mathematics Departments in US Colleges and Univer- www.nd.edu/~histast/.
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