Princeton University Press
Sourcebook in the Mathematics of Ancient Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean
Key Metrics
- Victor J Katz
- Princeton University Press
- Hardcover
- 9780691202815
- -
- -
- Mathematics > History & Philosophy
- English
Secure TransactionBook Description
An invaluable reference book on the mathematics of Greek antiquity
Euclid, Archimedes, and Apollonius are familiar names to many of us, and their contributions have shaped mathematical practice up to modern times. Yet the mathematical activity of Greek antiquity extended far beyond their achievements and was furthered by diverse individuals in different contexts. Sourcebook in Greek Mathematics brings together an extensive collection of primary source materials that document the extraordinary breadth of mathematical ideas developed in the Eastern Mediterranean from 500 BCE to 500 CE, a millennium in which Greek cultural influence spanned the ancient world.
Weaving together ancient commentaries with the works themselves, Victor Katz and Clemency Montelle present a wealth of newly translated texts along with sources difficult to find elsewhere, from writings by the great mathematical thinkers of Greek antiquity to those by practitioners who used mathematics in everyday life. This comprehensive and wide-ranging sourcebook includes lesser-known authors who made critical contributions, sometimes in languages other than Greek, as well as accounts of technical instrumentation, papyri by anonymous authors designed for teaching purposes, and evidence of hand computations and numerical tables.
An essential resource for anyone interested in the mathematical achievements of this remarkable intellectual culture, Sourcebook in Greek Mathematics encompasses disciplines that illustrate the important role of mathematics in ancient Greek society more broadly, from astronomy, music, and optics to philosophy, literature, and theater.
Author Bio
Victor J. Katz is Professor of Mathematics emeritus at the University of the District of Columbia. He has long been interested in the history of mathematics and its use in teaching. The third edition of his well-regarded textbook, A History of Mathematics: An Introduction, appeared in 2008. Katz is also the editor of The Mathematics of Egypt, Mesopotamia, China, India and Islam: A Sourcebook, published in 2007.
Professor Katz has written and spoken extensively on the history of mathematics and its use in teaching. He has edited three books dealing with this subject as well as two collections of historical articles taken from journals of the Mathematical Association of America in the past 90 years.
He has directed two NSF-sponsored projects to help college teachers learn the history of mathematics and its use in teaching and also involved secondary school teachers in writing materials demonstrating this use in the high school curriculum. These materials, Historical Modules for the Teaching and Learning of Mathematics, were published on a CD in 2005.
Professor Katz was the founding editor of Loci:Convergence, the MAA’s online magazine in the history of mathematics and its use in teaching.
Source: Department of Mathematics University of Hawaii at Manoa
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