Seventeenth-Century Indivisibles Revisited

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Author :
Publisher : Birkhäuser
ISBN 13 : 3319001310
Total Pages : 499 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (19 download)

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Book Synopsis Seventeenth-Century Indivisibles Revisited by : Vincent Jullien

Download or read book Seventeenth-Century Indivisibles Revisited written by Vincent Jullien and published by Birkhäuser. This book was released on 2015-05-19 with total page 499 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The tremendous success of indivisibles methods in geometry in the seventeenth century, responds to a vast project: installation of infinity in mathematics. The pathways by the authors are very diverse, as are the characterizations of indivisibles, but there are significant factors of unity between the various doctrines of indivisible; the permanence of the language used by all authors is the strongest sign. These efforts do not lead to the stabilization of a mathematical theory (with principles or axioms, theorems respecting these first statements, followed by applications to a set of geometric situations), one must nevertheless admire the magnitude of the results obtained by these methods and highlights the rich relationships between them and integral calculus. The present book aims to be exhaustive since it analyzes the works of all major inventors of methods of indivisibles during the seventeenth century, from Kepler to Leibniz. It takes into account the rich existing literature usually devoted to a single author. This book results from the joint work of a team of specialists able to browse through this entire important episode in the history of mathematics and to comment it. The list of authors involved in indivisibles ́ field is probably sufficient to realize the richness of this attempt; one meets Kepler, Cavalieri, Galileo, Torricelli, Gregoire de Saint Vincent, Descartes, Roberval, Pascal, Tacquet, Lalouvère, Guldin, Barrow, Mengoli, Wallis, Leibniz, Newton.

The History of Continua

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Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN 13 : 0198809646
Total Pages : 593 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (988 download)

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Book Synopsis The History of Continua by : Stewart Shapiro

Download or read book The History of Continua written by Stewart Shapiro and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2021 with total page 593 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mathematical and philosophical thought about continuity has changed considerably over the ages, from Aristotle's insistence that a continuum is a unified whole, to the dominant account today, that a continuum is composed of infinitely many points. This book explores the key ideas and debates concerning continuity over more than 2500 years.

The Impossibility of Squaring the Circle in the 17th Century

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Author :
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 3030016382
Total Pages : 189 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (3 download)

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Book Synopsis The Impossibility of Squaring the Circle in the 17th Century by : Davide Crippa

Download or read book The Impossibility of Squaring the Circle in the 17th Century written by Davide Crippa and published by Springer. This book was released on 2019-03-06 with total page 189 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is about James Gregory’s attempt to prove that the quadrature of the circle, the ellipse and the hyperbola cannot be found algebraically. Additonally, the subsequent debates that ensued between Gregory, Christiaan Huygens and G.W. Leibniz are presented and analyzed. These debates eventually culminated with the impossibility result that Leibniz appended to his unpublished treatise on the arithmetical quadrature of the circle. The author shows how the controversy around the possibility of solving the quadrature of the circle by certain means (algebraic curves) pointed to metamathematical issues, particularly to the completeness of algebra with respect to geometry. In other words, the question underlying the debate on the solvability of the circle-squaring problem may be thus phrased: can finite polynomial equations describe any geometrical quantity? As the study reveals, this question was central in the early days of calculus, when transcendental quantities and operations entered the stage. Undergraduate and graduate students in the history of science, in philosophy and in mathematics will find this book appealing as well as mathematicians and historians with broad interests in the history of mathematics.

Distinctions of Reason and Reasonable Distinctions

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Publisher : BRILL
ISBN 13 : 9004409149
Total Pages : 329 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (44 download)

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Book Synopsis Distinctions of Reason and Reasonable Distinctions by : Jason M. Rampelt

Download or read book Distinctions of Reason and Reasonable Distinctions written by Jason M. Rampelt and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2019-07-22 with total page 329 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Distinctions of Reason and Reasonable Distinctions is an intellectual biography of John Wallis (1616-1703), professor of mathematics at Oxford for over half a century. His career spans the political tumult of the English Civil Wars, the religious upheaval of the Church of England, and the fascinating developments in mathematics and natural philosophy. His ability to navigate this terrain and advance human learning in the academic world was facilitated by his use of the Jesuit Francisco Suarez’s theory of distinctions. This Roman Catholic’s philosophy in the hands of a Protestant divine fostered an instrumentalism necessary to bridge the old and new. With this tool, Wallis brought modern science into the university and helped form the Royal Society.

Mastering the History of Pure and Applied Mathematics

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Author :
Publisher : Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
ISBN 13 : 3110769964
Total Pages : 272 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (17 download)

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Book Synopsis Mastering the History of Pure and Applied Mathematics by : Toke Knudsen

Download or read book Mastering the History of Pure and Applied Mathematics written by Toke Knudsen and published by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. This book was released on 2024-06-04 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The present collection of essays are published in honor of the distinguished historian of mathematics Professor Emeritus Jesper Lützen. In a career that spans more than four decades, Professor Lützen's scholarly contributions have enhanced our understanding of the history, development, and organization of mathematics. The essays cover a broad range of areas connected to Professor Lützen's work. In addition to this noteworthy scholarship, Professor Lützen has always been an exemplary colleague, providing support to peers as well as new faculty and graduate students. We dedicate this Festschrift to Professor Lützen—as a scholarly role model, mentor, colleague, and friend.

Between Tradition and Innovation

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Publisher : BRILL
ISBN 13 : 9004447903
Total Pages : 307 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (44 download)

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Book Synopsis Between Tradition and Innovation by : Ad J. Meskens

Download or read book Between Tradition and Innovation written by Ad J. Meskens and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2021-03-29 with total page 307 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book offers an analysis of the ground breaking mathematical work of Gregorio a San Vicente and his student and shows that the Flemish Jesuit Mathematics School had profound influence on mathematics in the seventeenth century.

A Companion to Hobbes

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Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 1119635039
Total Pages : 544 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (196 download)

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Book Synopsis A Companion to Hobbes by : Marcus P. Adams

Download or read book A Companion to Hobbes written by Marcus P. Adams and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2021-10-08 with total page 544 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Offers comprehensive treatment of Thomas Hobbes’s thought, providing readers with different ways of understanding Hobbes as a systematic philosopher As one of the founders of modern political philosophy, Thomas Hobbes is best known for his ideas regarding the nature of legitimate government and the necessity of society submitting to the absolute authority of sovereign power. Yet Hobbes produced a wide range of writings, from translations of texts by Homer and Thucydides, to interpretations of Biblical books, to works devoted to geometry, optics, morality, and religion. Hobbes viewed himself as presenting a unified method for theoretical and practical science—an interconnected system of philosophy that provides many entry points into his thought. A Companion to Hobbes is an expertly curated collection of essays offering close textual engagement with the thought of Thomas Hobbes in his major works while probing his ideas regarding natural philosophy, mathematics, human nature, civil philosophy, religion, and more. The Companion discusses the ways in which scholars have tried to understand the unity and diversity of Hobbes’s philosophical system and examines the reception of the different parts of Hobbes’s philosophy by thinkers such as René Descartes, Margaret Cavendish, David Hume, and Immanuel Kant. Presenting a diversity of fresh perspectives by both emerging and established scholars, this volume: Provides a comprehensive treatment of Hobbes’s thought in his works, including Elements of Law, Elements of Philosophy, and Leviathan Explores the connecting points between Hobbes’ metaphysics, epistemology, mathematics, natural philosophy, morality, and civil philosophy Offers readers strategies for understanding how the parts of Hobbes’s philosophical system fit together Examines Hobbes’s philosophy of mathematics and his attempts to understand geometrical objects and definitions Considers Hobbes’s philosophy in contexts such as the natural state of humans, gender relations, and materialist worldviews Challenges conceptions of Hobbes’s moral theory and his views about the rights of sovereigns Part of the acclaimed Blackwell Companions to Philosophy series, A Companion to Hobbes is an invaluable resource for scholars and advanced students of Early modern thought, particularly those from disciplines such as History of Philosophy, Political Philosophy, Intellectual History, History of Politics, Political Theory, and English.

Hobbes and Galileo: Method, Matter and the Science of Motion

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Author :
Publisher : Springer Nature
ISBN 13 : 3030414140
Total Pages : 234 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (34 download)

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Book Synopsis Hobbes and Galileo: Method, Matter and the Science of Motion by : Gregorio Baldin

Download or read book Hobbes and Galileo: Method, Matter and the Science of Motion written by Gregorio Baldin and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-04-15 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book, translated from Italian, discusses the influence of Galileo on Hobbes’ natural philosophy. In his De motu, loco et tempore or Anti-White (~ 1643), Thomas Hobbes describes Galileo as “the greatest philosopher of all times”, and in De Corpore (1655), the Italian scientist is presented as the one who “opened the door of all physics, that is, the nature of motion.” The book gives a detailed analysis of Galileo’s legacy in Hobbes’s philosophy, exploring four main issues: a comparison between Hobbes’ and Mersenne’s natural philosophies, the Galilean Principles of Hobbes’ philosophical system, a comparison between Galileo’s momentum and Hobbes’s conatus , and Hobbes’ and Galileo’s theories of matter. The book also analyses the role played by Marin Mersenne, in spreading Galileo’s ideas in France, and as a discussant of Hobbes. It highlights the many aspects of Hobbes’ relationship with Galileo: the methodological and epistemological elements, but also the conceptual and the lexical analogies in the field of physics, to arrive, finally, at a close comparison on the subject of the matter. From this analysis emerges a shared mechanical conception of the universe open and infinite, that replaces the Aristotelian cosmos, and which is populated by two elements only: matter and motion.

Homage to Evangelista Torricelli’s Opera Geometrica 1644–2024

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Publisher : Springer Nature
ISBN 13 : 3031069633
Total Pages : 1118 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (31 download)

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Book Synopsis Homage to Evangelista Torricelli’s Opera Geometrica 1644–2024 by : Raffaele Pisano

Download or read book Homage to Evangelista Torricelli’s Opera Geometrica 1644–2024 written by Raffaele Pisano and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on with total page 1118 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Errors, False Opinions and Defective Knowledge in Early Modern Europe

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Publisher : Firenze University Press
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 147 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (215 download)

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Book Synopsis Errors, False Opinions and Defective Knowledge in Early Modern Europe by : Marco Faini

Download or read book Errors, False Opinions and Defective Knowledge in Early Modern Europe written by Marco Faini and published by Firenze University Press. This book was released on with total page 147 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume offers a series of insights into the fascinating topic of errors and false opinions in early modern Europe. It explores the semantic richness of the category of ‘error’ in a time when such category becomes crucial to European thought and culture. During decades of increasing normativity in the social and religious sphere as well as in the epistemological status of disciplines, recognizing and correcting error becomes an imperative task whose importance can hardly be overestimated. The efforts at establishing religious, political, and scientific orthodoxy led philosophers, doctors, philologist, scientist, and theologians, to reconsider the very foundations of knowledge in the attempt to dispel errors. Spanning geographically from Italy to France, England, and Germany, the articles here gathered provide stimulating glimpses into one of the most fascinating, multifaceted, and controversial aspects of early modern culture.

The Idea of Principles in Early Modern Thought

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Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1315452677
Total Pages : 299 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (154 download)

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Book Synopsis The Idea of Principles in Early Modern Thought by : Peter R. Anstey

Download or read book The Idea of Principles in Early Modern Thought written by Peter R. Anstey and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-04-07 with total page 299 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This collection presents the first sustained examination of the nature and status of the idea of principles in early modern thought. Principles are almost ubiquitous in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries: the term appears in famous book titles, such as Newton’s Principia; the notion plays a central role in the thought of many leading philosophers, such as Leibniz’s Principle of Sufficient Reason; and many of the great discoveries of the period, such as the Law of Gravitational Attraction, were described as principles. Ranging from mathematics and law to chemistry, from natural and moral philosophy to natural theology, and covering some of the leading thinkers of the period, this volume presents ten compelling new essays that illustrate the centrality and importance of the idea of principles in early modern thought. It contains chapters by leading scholars in the field, including the Leibniz scholar Daniel Garber and the historian of chemistry William R. Newman, as well as exciting, emerging scholars, such as the Newton scholar Kirsten Walsh and a leading expert on experimental philosophy, Alberto Vanzo. The Idea of Principles in Early Modern Thought: Interdisciplinary Perspectives charts the terrain of one of the period’s central concepts for the first time, and opens up new lines for further research.

Philosophy of Mathematics in Antiquity and in Modern Times

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Author :
Publisher : Springer Nature
ISBN 13 : 3031273044
Total Pages : 314 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (312 download)

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Book Synopsis Philosophy of Mathematics in Antiquity and in Modern Times by : Ulrich Felgner

Download or read book Philosophy of Mathematics in Antiquity and in Modern Times written by Ulrich Felgner and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2023-07-12 with total page 314 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: »Philosophy of Mathematics« is understood, in this book, as an effort to clarify such questions that mathematics itself raises but cannot answer with its own methods. These include, for example, questions about the ontological status of mathematical objects (e.g., what is the nature of mathematical objects?) and the epistemological status of mathematical theorems (e.g., from what sources do we draw when we prove mathematical theorems?). The answers given by Plato, Aristotle, Euclid, Descartes, Locke, Leibniz, Kant, Cantor, Frege, Dedekind, Hilbert and others will be studied in detail. This will lead us to deep insights, not only into the history of mathematics, but also into the conception of mathematics as it is commonly held in the present time. The book is a translation from the German, however revised and considerably expanded. Various chapters have been completely rewritten.

Leibniz on Time, Space, and Relativity

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Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0192849077
Total Pages : 421 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (928 download)

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Book Synopsis Leibniz on Time, Space, and Relativity by : Richard T. W. Arthur

Download or read book Leibniz on Time, Space, and Relativity written by Richard T. W. Arthur and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2022-01-15 with total page 421 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this book, Arthur gives fresh interpretations of Gottfried Leibniz's theories of time, space, and the relativity of motion, based on a thorough examination of Leibniz's manuscripts as well as his published papers. These are analysed in historical context, but also with an eye to their contemporary relevance. Leibniz's views on relativity have been extremely influential, first on Mach, and then on Einstein, while his novel approach to geometry in his analysis situs inspired many later developments in geometry. Arthur expounds the latter in some detail, explaining its relationship to Leibniz's metaphysics of space and the grounding of motion, and defending Leibniz's views on the relativity of motion against charges of inconsistency. The brilliance of his work on time, though, has not been so well appreciated, and Arthur attempts to remedy this through a detailed discussion of Leibniz's relational theory of time, showing how it underpins his theory of possible worlds, his complex account of contingency, and his highly original treatment of the continuity of time, providing formal treatments in an appendix. In other appendices, Arthur provides translations of previously untranslated writings by Leibniz on analysis situs and on Copernicanism, as well as an essay on Leibniz's philosophy of relations. In his introductory chapter he explains how the framework for the book is provided by the interpretation of Leibniz's metaphysics he defended in his earlier Monads, Composition, and Force (OUP 2018, winner of the 2019 annual JHP Book Prize for best book in the history of philosophy published in 2018).

Mathematical Discourse that Breaks Barriers and Creates Space for Marginalized Learners

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Author :
Publisher : BRILL
ISBN 13 : 9463512128
Total Pages : 294 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (635 download)

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Book Synopsis Mathematical Discourse that Breaks Barriers and Creates Space for Marginalized Learners by :

Download or read book Mathematical Discourse that Breaks Barriers and Creates Space for Marginalized Learners written by and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2017-01-01 with total page 294 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For the past decade reform efforts have placed importance on all students being able to participate in collaborative and productive mathematical discourse as an essential component for their learning of mathematics with deep conceptual understandings. In this book our intent is to support mathematics education researchers, teacher educators, teachers and policy makers in providing positive solutions to the enduring challenge in mathematics education of enabling all participants including diverse students to equitably access mathematical discourse. By diverse learners we mean learners who are minoritized in terms of gender, disability, or/and social, cultural, ethnic, racial or language backgrounds. We aim to increase understanding about what it means to imagine, design and engage with policy and practice which enhance opportunities for all students to participate in productive mathematical discourse. In widening the lens across policy and practice settings we recognize the interplay between the many complex factors that influence student participation in mathematics. The various chapters tell practical stories of equitable practices for diverse learners within a range of different contexts. Different research perspectives, empirical traditions, and conceptual foci are presented in each chapter. Various aspects of diversity are raised, issues of concern are engaged with, and at times conventional wisdom challenged as the authors provide insights as to how educators may address issues of equitable access of minoritized learners to the mathematical discourse within settings across early primary through to high school, and situated in schools or in family and community settings.

The Oxford Handbook of Leibniz

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Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0190913630
Total Pages : 825 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (99 download)

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Book Synopsis The Oxford Handbook of Leibniz by : Maria Rosa Antognazza

Download or read book The Oxford Handbook of Leibniz written by Maria Rosa Antognazza and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2018-10-01 with total page 825 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The extraordinary breadth and depth of Leibniz's intellectual vision commands ever increasing attention. As more texts gradually emerge from seemingly bottomless archives, new facets of his contribution to an astonishing variety of fields come to light. This volume provides a uniquely comprehensive, systematic, and up-to-date appraisal of Leibniz's thought thematically organized around its diverse but interrelated aspects. Discussion of his philosophical system naturally takes place of pride. A cluster of original essays revisit his logic, metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of nature, moral and political philosophy, and philosophy of religion. The scope of the volume, however, goes beyond that of a philosophical collection to embrace all the main features of Leibniz's thought and activity. Contributions are offered on Leibniz as a mathematician (including not only his calculus but also determinant theory, symmetric functions, the dyadic, the analysis situs, probability and statistics); on Leibniz as a scientist (physics and also optics, cosmology, geology, physiology, medicine, and chemistry); on his technical innovations (the calculating machine and the technology of mining, as well as other discoveries); on his work as an 'intelligencer' and cultural networker, as jurist, historian, editor of sources and librarian; on his views on Europe's political future, religious toleration, and ecclesiastical reunification; on his proposals for political, administrative, economic, and social reform. In so doing, the volume serves as a unique cross-disciplinary point of contact for the many domains to which Leibniz contributed. By assembling leading specialists on all these topics, it offers the most rounded picture of Leibniz's endeavors currently available.

Infinity in Early Modern Philosophy

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Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 3319945564
Total Pages : 213 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (199 download)

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Book Synopsis Infinity in Early Modern Philosophy by : Ohad Nachtomy

Download or read book Infinity in Early Modern Philosophy written by Ohad Nachtomy and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-08-31 with total page 213 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume contains essays that examine infinity in early modern philosophy. The essays not only consider the ways that key figures viewed the concept. They also detail how these different beliefs about infinity influenced major philosophical systems throughout the era. These domains include mathematics, metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, science, and theology. Coverage begins with an introduction that outlines the overall importance of infinity to early modern philosophy. It then moves from a general background of infinity (before early modern thought) up through Kant. Readers will learn about the place of infinity in the writings of key early modern thinkers. The contributors profile the work of Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, and Kant. Debates over infinity significantly influenced philosophical discussion regarding the human condition and the extent and limits of human knowledge. Questions about the infinity of space, for instance, helped lead to the introduction of a heliocentric solar system as well as the discovery of calculus. This volume offers readers an insightful look into all this and more. It provides a broad perspective that will help advance the present state of knowledge on this important but often overlooked topic.

Transcendental Curves in the Leibnizian Calculus

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Author :
Publisher : Academic Press
ISBN 13 : 0128132981
Total Pages : 284 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (281 download)

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Book Synopsis Transcendental Curves in the Leibnizian Calculus by : Viktor Blasjo

Download or read book Transcendental Curves in the Leibnizian Calculus written by Viktor Blasjo and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2017-04-22 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Transcendental Curves in the Leibnizian Calculus analyzes a mathematical and philosophical conflict between classical and early modern mathematics. In the late 17th century, mathematics was at the brink of an identity crisis. For millennia, mathematical meaning and ontology had been anchored in geometrical constructions, as epitomized by Euclid's ruler and compass. As late as 1637, Descartes had placed himself squarely in this tradition when he justified his new technique of identifying curves with equations by means of certain curve-tracing instruments, thereby bringing together the ancient constructive tradition and modern algebraic methods in a satisfying marriage. But rapid advances in the new fields of infinitesimal calculus and mathematical mechanics soon ruined his grand synthesis. Descartes's scheme left out transcendental curves, i.e. curves with no polynomial equation, but in the course of these subsequent developments such curves emerged as indispensable. It was becoming harder and harder to juggle cutting-edge mathematics and ancient conceptions of its foundations at the same time, yet leading mathematicians, such as Leibniz felt compelled to do precisely this. The new mathematics fit more naturally an analytical conception of curves than a construction-based one, yet no one wanted to betray the latter, as this was seen as virtually tantamount to stop doing mathematics altogether. The credibility and authority of mathematics depended on it. - Brings to light this underlying and often implicit complex of concerns that permeate early calculus - Evaluates the technical conception and mathematical construction of the geometrical method - Reveals a previously unrecognized Liebnizian programmatic cohesion in early calculus - Provides a beautifully written work of outstanding original scholarship