The Mathematics of Great Amateurs / Edition 2

by Julian Lowell Coolidge, Jeremy Gray

Overview

This unique history surveys the mathematical contributions of numerous individuals noted mainly for their groundbreaking activities in other fields. It evaluates the discoveries of such luminaries as Plato, Leonardo da Vinci, Omar Khayyam, Jan de Witt, Denis Diderot, William George Horner, Antoine Arnauld, and many others, providing fascinating information on their lives and circumstances. The book also includes a valuable introductory essay by Professor Jeremy Gray, who comments on changes that have taken place in the study of history and mathematics since the initial publication of this classic work in 1949.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780198539391
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	12/13/1990
Series:	Oxford Science Publications
Edition description:	REV
Pages:	236
Product dimensions:	6.13(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.52(d)

Table of Contents

1. Plato2. Omar Khayyam3. Pietro dei Francesci4. Leonardo de Vinci5. Albrecht Durer6. John Napier, Baron of Merchiston7. Blaise Pascal8. Antoine Arnauld9. Jan de Witt10. Johann Heinrich Hudd11. William, Viscount Brouncker12. Guillaume L' Hospital, Marquis de Sainte-Mesme13. Buffon14. Denis Diderot15. William George Horner16. Bernard Bolzano

Editorial Reviews

"The level of Professor Coolidge's scholarship is high, the style is lucid, and the work is enjoyable reading." —Nature

"Professor Coolidge has added yet another book to delight mathematicians." —Isis

"Coolidge's book has become a minor classic, not just for its historical erudition but also for its clear, informal style." —American Scientist

"The reader will find a good deal here. The Mathematics of Great Amateurs has stood the test of time to become an essential reference on the shelf of every working historian of mathematics. It remains a delightful ‘read' for the general mathematician with even a passing interest in the development of the subject.

"The Mathematics of Great Amateures (Coolidge) is great fun. Coolidge discusses the contributions of many folks, including Omar Khayyam, Da Vinci, Pascal, De Witt (apparently the first to make a careful study of annuities), and L'Hospital. I particularly like the discussion of George-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon and his apparent discovery of geometric probability. It made me recall with fondness my introduction to the Buffon needle problem by my late friend Gian-Carlo Rota."—The Bulletin of Mathematics Books

From the Publisher