History of Mathematics, A, Books a la Carte Edition

by Victor J. Katz

Key Message: A History of Mathematics, Third Edition, provides a solid background in the history of mathematics, helping readers gain a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts in their historical context. This book’s global perspective covers how contributions from Chinese, Indian, and Islamic mathematicians shaped our modern understanding of mathematics. This book also includes discussions of important historical textbooks and primary sources to help readers further understand the development of modern mathematics.

 

 

Key Topics: Ancient Mathematics: Egypt and Mesopotamia, The Beginnings of Mathematics in Greece, Euclid, Archimedes and Apollonius, Mathematical Methods in Hellenistic Times, The Final Chapter of Greek Mathematics; Medieval Mathematics: Ancient and Medieval China, Ancient and Medieval India, The Mathematics of Islam, Medieval Europe, Mathematics Elsewhere; Early Modern Mathematics: Algebra in the Renaissance, Mathematical Methods in the Renaissance, Geometry, Algebra and Probability in the Seventeenth Century, The Beginnings of Calculus, Newton and Leibniz; Modern Mathematics: Analysis in the Eighteenth Century, Probability and Statistics in the Eighteenth Century, Algebra and Number Theory in the Eighteenth Century, Geometry in the Eighteenth Century, Algebra and Number Theory in the Nineteenth Century, Analysis in the Nineteenth Century, Probability and Statistics in the Nineteenth Century, Geometry in the Nineteenth Century, Aspects of the Twentieth Century

 

Market: For all readers interested in the history of mathematics.

Genres: Mathematics, History, Science, Nonfiction, Textbooks, History Of Science

976 pages, Unbound

First published December 1, 1992

Reviews

[Lea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was written by my former boss, so I kinda had to love it, but I secretly really did.

[So Hakim · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exhilarating survey of mathematics, from the heyday of Egypt & Babylon up to modern time. Full of cultural curiosities like e.g. how to calculate fractions the Egyptian way? What about Babylonian sexagesimal, and why is it still relevant? (And so on)

There is also little discussion -- quite an aside -- on ethnomathematics, i.e. mathematics outside the Western tradition. Some exploration on math from the Americas and Africa shows that this subject is indeed quite universal.

The book's greatest strength, however, is its thematic organization. It is chronologically divided into (pretty much) self-sufficient chapters. Assuming high school/early college mastery of math, readers can jump to a period of interest and get the gist.

Explanations are generally lucid, even more so when it comes to geometry.

True to its title, this book is "A History of Math: An Introduction". And what good introduction! Again we are reminded that science is truly cumulative process, each new generation building on the previous' legacy.

[Tamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! Filled with useful information.

[Khuram Shahzad · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was good. But less information about the working of Chinese civilization. Similarly I also wanted to know more about the working of Babylonians.

[Armein Irinco · Rating 4 out of 5]

good

[soda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for math students and those looking to find out where math "came from" and how it evolved into what we use today.

[Tue Le · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of the books recommended by my Professor for the History and Philosophy of Mathematics. I managed to borrow a copy from my university library and thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I honestly preferred "Mathematical Thought from Ancient to Modern Times" (1972) by Morris Kline, but this one was newer and as such was able to discuss some of the more recent developments in mathematics, such as the computer-generated proof of the four-color map theorem and the tour de force of Andrew Wiles that was his demonstration of Fermat's Last Theorem. Both books discussed physics, whenever relevant, but Kline dedicated more space to the applications of mathematical methods to physics, which I thought was a clear advantage.

[Jordeana Bell]

Essential to the understanding of Math. Very helpful with defining accurate methods of teaching Math.