Math Through the Ages: A Gentle History for Teachers and Others

William P. Berlinghoff, Fernando Q. Gouvêa

The Mathematical Association of America | 2003 | 208 páginas | pdf | 7,519 Mb

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Where did math come from? Who thought up all those algebra symbols, and why? What's the story behind ...negative numbers? ...the metric system? ...quadratic equations? ...sine and cosine? The 25 independent sketches in "Math through the Ages" answer these questions and many others in an informal, easygoing style that's accessible to teachers, students, and anyone who is curious about the history of mathematical ideas. Each sketch contains Questions and Projects to help you learn more about its topic and to see how its main ideas fit into the bigger picture of history.

It is ideal for a broad spectrum of audiences, including students in math history courses in the late high school or early college level, pre-service or in-service teachers and casual readers who just want to know a little more about the origins of mathematics.
The 25 short stories are preceded by a 56-page bird's-eye overview of the entire panorama of mathematical history, a whirlwind tour of the most important people, events, and trends that shaped the mathematics we know today. ``What to Read Next'' and reading suggestions after each sketch provide starting points for readers who want to pursue a topic further.

Topics covered in the sketches

1. writing whole numbers
2. wherethe symbols of arithmetic came from

3. the story of zero
4. writing fractions
5. negative numbers
6. metric measurement
7. the story of pi
8. writing algebra with symbols
9. solving first degree equations
10. quadratic equations
11. solving cubic equations
12. the pythagorean theorem
13. Fermat's last theorem
14. Euclid's plane geometry
15. the platonic solids
16. coordinate geometry
17. complex numbers
18. sine and cosine
19. the non-euclidean geometries
20. projective geometry
21. the start of probability theory
22. statistics becomes a science
23. electronic computers
24. logic and boolean algebra
25. infinity and the theory of sets