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This volume contains eighteen papers that have been collected by the Canadian Society for History and Philosophy of Mathematics. It showcases rigorously-reviewed contemporary scholarship on an interesting variety of topics in the history and philosophy of mathematics, as well as the teaching of the history of mathematics.
Some of the topics explored include
- Arabic editions of Euclid's Elements from the thirteenth century and their role in the assimilation of Euclidean geometry into the Islamic intellectual tradition
- Portuguese sixteenth century recreational mathematics as found in the Tratado de Prática Darysmetica
- A Cambridge correspondence course in arithmetic for women in England in the late nineteenth century
- The mathematical interests of the famous Egyptologist Thomas Eric (T. E.) Peet
- The history of Zentralblatt für Mathematik and Mathematical Reviews and their role in creating a publishing infrastructure for a global mathematical literature
- The use of Latin squares for agricultural crop experiments at the Rothamsted Experimental Station
- The many contributions of women to the advancement of computing techniques at the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge in the 1960s
The volume concludes with two short plays, one set in Ancient Mesopotamia and the other in Ancient Egypt, that are well suited for use in the mathematics classroom.
Written by leading scholars in the field, these papers are accessible not only to mathematicians and students of the history and philosophy of mathematics, but also to anyone with a general interest in mathematics.
List of contents
H. Amini, A 10th Century Mathematical Glossary.- G. De Young, Euclid in Maragha: The Age of the Tahrir.- J. N. Silva, P. J. Freitas, The Recreational Problems of Tratado de Prática Darysmetica by Gaspar Nicolas, 1519.- A. Corrigan, The Mathematics of Polemic in John Napier's Plaine Discovery.- P. Blaszczyk, A. Petiurenko, Euler's Series for Sine and Cosine: An Interpretation in Nonstandard Analysis.- C. J. Huffman, Agnesi vs. Colson: Did Location Matter?- B. Larvor, The Limits of Understanding and the Understanding of Limits: David Hume's Mathematical Sources.- A. Ackerberg-Hastings, Analysis and Synthesis in Robert Simson's The Elements of Euclid.- R. Wilson, Thomas Archer Hirst: Mathematician Xtravagant.- S. L. McMurran, J. J. Tattersall, A Cambridge Correspondance Course in Arithmetic for Women.- C. D. Hollings, R. B. Parkinson; T. E. Peet, A Mathematician among Egyptologists?- M. J. Barany, Placing a Global Mathematical Literature: Geography, Infrastructure, and Information inthe Mid-Century Zentralblatt für Mathematik and Mathematical Reviews.- R. A. Bailey, Latin Squares at Rothamsted in the Time of Fisher and Yates.- R. Godard, J. de Boer, M. Lewis, Les équations différentielles ordinaires "raides" et les méthodes robustes: Une approche historique.- V. Allan, The Cavendish Computors: The Women Working in Scientific Computing for Radio Astronomy.- M. Muntersbjorn, The Algebra Project, Feature Talk, and the History of Mathematics.- G. Hitchcock, Corrupt Land Inspectors: Solving Equations with Picture-Language in Ancient Mesopotamia, a Dialogue.- G. Hitchcock, Entrance into All Obscure Secrets: A Workshop on Bringing Episodes in the History of Mathematics to Life in the Classroom by Means of Theater, Incorporating a Short Play Set in an Ancient Egyptian Scribal School.
