Princeton University Press
The Mathematics of Egypt, Mesopotamia, China, India, and Islam: A Sourcebook
Key Metrics
- Victor J Katz
- Princeton University Press
- Hardcover
- 9780691114859
- 10.05 X 7.25 X 2.09 inches
- 3.61 pounds
- Mathematics > History & Philosophy
- English
Secure TransactionBook Description
In recent decades it has become obvious that mathematics has always been a worldwide activity. But this is the first book to provide a substantial collection of English translations of key mathematical texts from the five most important ancient and medieval non-Western mathematical cultures, and to put them into full historical and mathematical context. The Mathematics of Egypt, Mesopotamia, China, India, and Islam gives English readers a firsthand understanding and appreciation of these cultures' important contributions to world mathematics.
The five section authors--Annette Imhausen (Egypt), Eleanor Robson (Mesopotamia), Joseph Dauben (China), Kim Plofker (India), and J. Lennart Berggren (Islam)--are experts in their fields. Each author has selected key texts and in many cases provided new translations. The authors have also written substantial section introductions that give an overview of each mathematical culture and explanatory notes that put each selection into context. This authoritative commentary allows readers to understand the sometimes unfamiliar mathematics of these civilizations and the purpose and significance of each text.
Addressing a critical gap in the mathematics literature in English, this book is an essential resource for anyone with at least an undergraduate degree in mathematics who wants to learn about non-Western mathematical developments and how they helped shape and enrich world mathematics. The book is also an indispensable guide for mathematics teachers who want to use non-Western mathematical ideas in the classroom.
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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