Home Sourcebook in the Mathematics of Medieval Europe and North Africa by Victor J. Katz (Editor); Menso Folkerts (Editor); Barnabas Hughes (Editor) (ISBN: 9780691156859)

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Sourcebook in the Mathematics of Medieval Europe and North Africa Hardcover - 2016

Name: Sourcebook in the Mathematics of Medieval Europe and North Africa
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ISBN: 9780691156859

by Victor J. Katz (Editor); Menso Folkerts (Editor); Barnabas Hughes (Editor)

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From the publisher

Medieval Europe was a meeting place for the Christian, Jewish, and Islamic civilizations, and the fertile intellectual exchange of these cultures can be seen in the mathematical developments of the time. This sourcebook presents original Latin, Hebrew, and Arabic sources of medieval mathematics, and shows their cross-cultural influences. Most of the Hebrew and Arabic sources appear here in translation for the first time. Readers will discover key mathematical revelations, foundational texts, and sophisticated writings by Latin, Hebrew, and Arabic-speaking mathematicians, including Abner of Burgos's elegant arguments proving results on the conchoid--a curve previously unknown in medieval Europe; Levi ben Gershon's use of mathematical induction in combinatorial proofs; Al-Mu'taman Ibn H?d's extensive survey of mathematics, which included proofs of Heron's Theorem and Ceva's Theorem; and Muhy? al-D?n al-Maghrib?'s interesting proof of Euclid's parallel postulate. The book includes a general introduction, section introductions, footnotes, and references. The Sourcebook in the Mathematics of Medieval Europe and North Africa will be indispensable to anyone seeking out the important historical sources of premodern mathematics.

From the rear cover

"There is no denying that great mathematical progress was made in Europe in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The primary sources in this book show how mathematics developed in medieval Europe to the stage where such progress became possible. The editors do a good job of explaining mathematical ideas of the time to modern readers while still leaving the extracts to speak for themselves."--John Hannah, University of Canterbury, New Zealand

"This sourcebook collects in one place and brings to light in English many valuable and interesting sources on mathematics from the Middle Ages in Europe and North Africa. A significant contribution to the field, it allows scholars and students to consult primary sources that have been translated into English and thoughtfully footnoted."--Sloan Despeaux, Western Carolina University

"This carefully crafted anthology consists primarily of excerpts from diverse historical sources in premodern mathematics. It will be a revelation to readers and abundantly testifies not only to the richness and depth of medieval Western mathematical sciences, but also to the complex interconnections of the different textual traditions that maintained them."--Kim Plofker, author of Mathematics in India

"This book provides the reader with English translations of key mathematical texts from medieval Western Europe and North Africa, all originally written in one of the three scientific languages of that time: Latin, Hebrew, and Arabic. Until now, there has been no sourcebook that deals with Hebrew mathematics as such, or the mathematics of the Muslim West. This volume fills that gap and brings the field an important step forward."--Pascal Crozet, Universit� Paris Diderot

Details

Title Sourcebook in the Mathematics of Medieval Europe and North Africa
Author Victor J. Katz (Editor); Menso Folkerts (Editor); Barnabas Hughes (Editor)
Binding Hardcover
Pages 592
Volumes 1
Language ENG
Publisher Princeton University Press
Date 2016
Illustrated Yes
ISBN 9780691156859 / 0691156859
Weight 3.05 lbs (1.38 kg)
Dimensions 10.1 x 7.3 x 1.8 in (25.65 x 18.54 x 4.57 cm)
Library of Congress subjects History, Sources
Library of Congress Catalog Number 2016935714
Dewey Decimal Code 510.902

Media reviews

Citations

Choice, 05/01/2017, Page 0

About the author

Victor J. Katz is professor of mathematics emeritus at the University of the District of Columbia. Menso Folkerts is professor emeritus of the history of science at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. Barnabas Hughes is professor emeritus of secondary education at California State University, Northridge. Roi Wagner is a research fellow at the Minerva Humanities Center at Tel Aviv University. J. Lennart Berggren is professor emeritus of the history of mathematics at Simon Fraser University in Canada.