The Mathematics of Plato's Academy: - A New Reconstruction

Zusatztext ... a "must-read" for all who would engage seriously with the present debates on Greek mathematics. Klappentext This is an updated edition of a groundbreaking examination of early Greek mathematics. The author has revised parts of the text! updated the bibliography! and added a new Appendix where he takes a strong position in the continuing debate about the nature and range of classical mathematics. The first part presents several new interpretations of the idea of ratio in early Greek mathematics and illustrates these in detailed discussions of several texts. Part Two then focuses on the sources themselves and provides a critical look at our knowledge of Plato's Academy during his lifetime! at the source of our text of Euclid's Elements! and at our understanding of early Greek mathematics. The final part contrasts some of the evidence from early and late antiquity and then gives a historical account! beginning in the seventeenth century! of the modern theory of continued fractions! which underlies our reconstruction of early Greek mathematics. Zusammenfassung This expanded edition is divided into three parts: interpretation, evidence, and later developments (which includes a history of continued fractions). The book provides an examination of the ancient texts related to the subject and gives a provocative interpretation.

Product details

• Authors: David Fowler, David (Mathematics Institute Fowler, David H. Fowler, Fowler David
• Publisher: Clarendon Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 11.03.1999
• EAN: 9780198502586
• ISBN: 978-0-19-850258-6
• Dimensions: 162 mm x 242 mm x 33 mm
• Subjects: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Mathematics > General, dictionaries; SCIENCE / History, Ancient Greece, MEDICAL / History, MATHEMATICS / History & Philosophy, TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING / History, History of Medicine, History of Science, History of engineering and technology, History of engineering & technology, History of mathematics