BULLETIN May/Mai 2013 Number/le numéro 52 WHAT’S INSIDE President’s Message [Glen Van Brummelen]..........................................................page 2 Articles Announcements......................................................................................page 3 2013 Kenneth O. May Lecturer: Jeremy Gray [Thomas Drucker] . page 6 HPM Americas Section at West Point [Amy Ackerberg-Hastings].....................................page 6 NMAH Object Groups...............................................................................page 7 Mixed Mathematics and Library Catalogs [Scott Guthery]............................................page 8 Changes at Historia Mathematica [Tom Archibald] . page 9 Offthe Shelf: Histoire de la statistique [David Orenstein]............................................page 10 Quotations in Context [Mike Molinsky] ............................................................. page 11 2013 Meeting Update...............................................................................page 13 Mathematical Ephemera............................................................................page 13 Help Wanted: CSHPM Mathfest Booth [Tom Drucker]..............................................page 14 Philosophia Mathematica Online Access [Robert Thomas]...........................................page 13 Reports 2012 Financial Statements..........................................................................page 12 Annual General Meeting CFHSS [Hardy Grant].....................................................page 14 New Members......................................................................................page 15 From the Editor ....................................................................................page 15 Canadian Society for History and Philosophy of Mathematics Société canadienne d’histoire et de philosophie des mathématiques ISSN 0835-5924 ABOUT THE SOCIETY From the President: Reaching Out Founded in 1974, the Canadian Society for the His- Why do we do what we do? For the history and phi- tory and Philosophy of Mathematics / Société cana- losophy of mathematics there are several competing dienne d’histoire et philosophie des mathématiques answers. Some of us are devoted to using history (CSHPM/SCHPM) promotes research and teaching and philosophy to humanize mathematics in the class- in the history and philosophy of mathematics. Offi- room. Others are interested in uncovering the chain cers of the Society are: of ideas that led us to our current mathematical sit- uation. Still others, perhaps the leading camp these President: Glen Van Brummelen, Quest Univer- days, hope to show how mathematics has been af- sity, Squamish, BC V8B 0N8, CA, [email protected] fected by, altered by, and interacted with different as- Vice-President: Elaine Landry,UCDavis,Davis, pects of human culture. All of these are legitimate CA 95616, USA, [email protected] goals, with the potential to enrich and inform the hu- Secretary: Patricia Allaire, 14818 60th Ave., Flush- man experience. ing, NY 11355, USA, [email protected] Treasurer: Dirk Schlimm, McGill University, Mont- But each of these efforts requires more than just pure réal, QC H3A 2T7, CA, [email protected] research, for its own sake. If we all spend our lives Past President: Jean-Pierre Marquis, Université entirely within the research bubble, not much will de Montréal, Montréal, QC H3C 3J7, CA, jean- change. If we don’t commit to some outreach, no one [email protected] is going to come along to communicate our ideas and discoveries to our intended audience. I see part of the CSHPM’s role as helping to organize our collective efforts to publicize the importance of our academic Members of Council passions. Francine Abeles, Kean University, Union, NJ 07083, One of our crucial audiences, perhaps more receptive USA, [email protected] to our mission than we often think, are professional Gregory Lavers, Concordia University, Montréal, mathematicians. Sessions in history and philosophy QC H3G 1M8, CA, [email protected] are popular at mathematics conferences, and while Adrian Rice, Randolph-Macon College, Ashland, I’ve heard the opinion that we are a sort of entertain- VA 23005, USA, [email protected] ment between the mathematics talks, it seems to me Sylvia Svitak, Queensborough Community College, that there is more to it than that: a desire to make CUNY, Bayside, NY 11364, USA, [email protected] a deeper connection with meaningful issues outside of their discipline. It is up to us to make that possible. The Society’s Web Page (www.cshpm.org) is main- These issues are the primary reason why I am de- tained by Michael Molinsky, University of Maine at lighted to announce several joint efforts with two ma- Farmington, Farmington, ME 04938, USA, michael.- jor North American professional mathematical orga- [email protected]. The Proceedings of the An- nizations. The first is the institution of a new column nual Meeting are edited by Tom Archibald,Si- devoted to history and philosophy of mathematics in mon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, the CMS Notes, the news magazine of the Canadian [email protected]. The Society’s Archives are man- Mathematical Society. This publication, produced six aged by Michael Molinsky (see above). Tom times annually, is read by over one thousand mathe- Archibald (see above) serves as CMS Liaison. maticians across Canada. The column will be coordi- nated and edited by two long-time CSHPM stalwarts, New Members are most cordially welcome; please con- Amy Ackerberg-Hastings and Hardy Grant. The idea tact the Secretary. for the column was inspired by Mike Molinsky’s fine regular contributions to this Bulletin,“Quotationsin Context”. Tom Archibald, who has spearheaded our joint efforts with the CMS for years, will write the 2 first contribution. Our greatest thanks to all four; Cantor, du Bois-Reymond, and Peirce on Continu- also to CMS Notes editors Robert Dawson and Srini- ity and Infinitesimals; and Paul Shields, Charles S. vasa Swaminathan; and to Johan Rudnick, the exec- Peirce on the Logic of Number. utive director of the CMS, who played a major role in Akademie Verlag has published online the latest vol- making this happen. ume (series 7, vol. 6) of Leibniz’s works, 1673–1676. Our cooperation with the CMS continues this sum- Arithmetische Kreisquadratur, edited by Uwe Mayer mer, via a joint display at the Mathematical Congress and Siegmund Probst. See gwlb.de/Leibniz/Leibniz- of the Americas in Mexico this August, organized on archiv/Veroeffentlichungen/VII6.pdf. our end by Tom Drucker. Tom is also putting together MIT Press published Janet Abbate’s new book, Re- a CSHPM display in the exhibitors’ area at MathFest, coding Gender: Women’s Changing Participation in the summer meeting of the Mathematical Association Computing. of America. This exhibit will support our joint meet- ing with the MAA in Hartford, CT, from August 1 to The Prologue and chapters 1–6 of Pseudo-Masha’- 3, and I hope to meet many of you there. allah’s treatise on the astrolabe, edited by Ron B. Thomson, is available at ouhos.org/2013/01/08/pseu- All of these initiatives may require some feedback and do-mashaallah-on-the-astrolabe/. assistance from some of you, through contributions of columns and other materials, and participation in the The special issue of Logica Universalis, in celebra- exhibit booths. So, keep an eye on your email inbox! tion of the centenary of the birth of Jean van Hei- Through communal efforts like this, the CSHPM will jenoort, has just appeared in print (vol. 6, no. 3–4 continue to make a difference well beyond our own (2012)). Contributors include Irving H. Anellis, Anita academic neighbourhood. Burdman Feferman, John W. Dawson, Jaakko Hin- tikka, Ignacio Angelelli, Claus-Peter Wirth, Francine Glen Van Brummelen F. Abeles, Solomon Feferman, Phillippe de Rouli- han, Jan Wolenski, and Anssi Korhonen. An arti- Announcements cle by Jean van Heijenoort and his bibliography are also included. Regrettably, illness prevented Georg Kreisel from delivering his contribution. Abstracts Judy Grabiner and Karen Parshall were named to the and open source articles are available electronically inaugural class of Fellows of the American Mathemat- from Springer-Verlag, via logica-universalis.org. ical Society. The Fellows of the American Mathemat- ical Society program recognizes members who have Speakers on the 2012–2013 schedule for the Philadel- made outstanding contributions to the creation, expo- phia Area Seminar on the History of Mathematics sition, advancement, communication, and utilization (PASHoM) included: David Richeson (Dickinson) on of mathematics. September 20; William Dunham (Muhlenberg) on October 25; Amy Shell-Gellasch (Hood) on Novem- Michael Molinsky was promoted to Professor at the ber 15; Steven Weintraub (Lehigh) on December 13; University of Maine at Farmington. William Huber (Haverford) on January 17; Chris Ror- Dan Curtin received a Certificate of Meritorious Ser- res (Drexel) on February 14; Tom Drucker (UW- vice from the MAA. Whitewater) on March 14; and David L. Roberts (Prince George’s CC) on April 18. Danny Otero has been elected Chair of HOMSIG- MAA, and Scott Guthery was elected Electronics Re- The Frederick V. Pohle Colloquium in the History of sources Coordinator. Mathematics, hosted by the Department of Mathe- matics & Computer Science at Adelphi University, Docent Press published four books on the philosophy presented the following speakers this past year: Tom of Charles S. Peirce in the final quarter