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  • Textbook
  • © 1979

The Historical Development of the Calculus

Authors:

  1. C. H. Edwards

    1. Department of Mathematics, University of Georgia, Athens, USA

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Part of the book series: Springer Study Edition (SSE)

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Table of contents (12 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xii
    PDF

  2. Area, Number, and Limit Concepts in Antiquity

    • C. H. Edwards Jr.
    Pages 1-28

  3. Archimedes

    • C. H. Edwards Jr.
    Pages 29-76

  4. Twilight, Darkness, and Dawn

    • C. H. Edwards Jr.
    Pages 77-97

  5. Early Indivisibles and Infinitesimal Techniques

    • C. H. Edwards Jr.
    Pages 98-121

  6. Early Tangent Constructions

    • C. H. Edwards Jr.
    Pages 122-141

  7. Napier’s Wonderful Logarithms

    • C. H. Edwards Jr.
    Pages 142-165

  8. The Arithmetic of the Infinite

    • C. H. Edwards Jr.
    Pages 166-188

  9. The Calculus According to Newton

    • C. H. Edwards Jr.
    Pages 189-230

  10. The Calculus According to Leibniz

    • C. H. Edwards Jr.
    Pages 231-267

  11. The Age of Euler

    • C. H. Edwards Jr.
    Pages 268-300

  13. Postscript: The Twentieth Century

    • C. H. Edwards Jr.
    Pages 335-346

  14. Back Matter

    Pages 347-351
    PDF
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About this book

The calculus has served for three centuries as the principal quantitative language of Western science. In the course of its genesis and evolution some of the most fundamental problems of mathematics were first con­ fronted and, through the persistent labors of successive generations, finally resolved. Therefore, the historical development of the calculus holds a special interest for anyone who appreciates the value of a historical perspective in teaching, learning, and enjoying mathematics and its ap­ plications. My goal in writing this book was to present an account of this development that is accessible, not solely to students of the history of mathematics, but to the wider mathematical community for which my exposition is more specifically intended, including those who study, teach, and use calculus. The scope of this account can be delineated partly by comparison with previous works in the same general area. M. E. Baron's The Origins of the Infinitesimal Calculus (1969) provides an informative and reliable treat­ ment of the precalculus period up to, but not including (in any detail), the time of Newton and Leibniz, just when the interest and pace of the story begin to quicken and intensify. C. B. Boyer's well-known book (1949, 1959 reprint) met well the goals its author set for it, but it was more ap­ propriately titled in its original edition-The Concepts of the Calculus­ than in its reprinting.
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Keywords

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Authors and Affiliations

  • Department of Mathematics, University of Georgia, Athens, USA

    C. H. Edwards

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Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: The Historical Development of the Calculus

  • Authors: C. H. Edwards

  • Series Title: Springer Study Edition

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-6230-5

  • Publisher: Springer New York, NY

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

  • Copyright Information: Springer-Verlag New York, Inc. 1979

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-0-387-94313-8Published: 24 June 1994

  • eBook ISBN: 978-1-4612-6230-5Published: 06 December 2012

  • Series ISSN: 0172-6234

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XII, 368

  • Additional Information: Originally published as a monograph

  • Topics: Analysis

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Buy it now

eBook USD 64.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access

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