Authors:
- Presents a concise, unified account of undergraduate mathematics by illustrating the rich historical context behind various topics
- Balances breadth and rigor in a manageable volume that’s suitable for a one-semester course
- Explores various moments in history through a mathematical perspective
Part of the book series: Undergraduate Texts in Mathematics (UTM)
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Table of contents (17 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Back Matter
About this book
This textbook provides a unified and concise exploration of undergraduate mathematics by approaching the subject through its history. Readers will discover the rich tapestry of ideas behind familiar topics from the undergraduate curriculum, such as calculus, algebra, topology, and more. Featuring historical episodes ranging from the Ancient Greeks to Fermat and Descartes, this volume offers a glimpse into the broader context in which these ideas developed, revealing unexpected connections that make this ideal for a senior capstone course.
The presentation of previous versions has been refined by omitting the less mainstream topics and inserting new connecting material, allowing instructors to cover the book in a one-semester course. This condensed edition prioritizes succinctness and cohesiveness, and there is a greater emphasis on visual clarity, featuring full color images and high quality 3D models. As in previous editions, a wide array of mathematical topics are covered, from geometry to computation; however, biographical sketches have been omitted.Mathematics and Its History: A Concise Edition is an essential resource for courses or reading programs on the history of mathematics. Knowledge of basic calculus, algebra, geometry, topology, and set theory is assumed.
From reviews of previous editions:
“Mathematics and Its History is a joy to read. The writing is clear, concise and inviting. The style is very different from a traditional text. I found myself picking it up to read at the expense of my usual late evening thriller or detective novel…. The author has done a wonderful job of tying together the dominant themes of undergraduate mathematics.” Richard J. Wilders, MAA, on the Third Edition
Keywords
- History of mathematics
- Calculus history
- Algebra history
- Topology history
- Geometry history
- Pythagorean theorem history
- Ancient Greek math
- Number theory history
- Descartes geometry
- Fermat history
- Infinite series
- Cauchy's theory
- Group theory history
- Undergraduate math history
- Commutative algebra history
- Senior capstone math
- Senior capstone math history
Reviews
Authors and Affiliations
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Department of Mathematics, University of San Francisco, San Francisco, USA
John Stillwell
About the author
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Mathematics and Its History
Book Subtitle: A Concise Edition
Authors: John Stillwell
Series Title: Undergraduate Texts in Mathematics
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-55193-3
Publisher: Springer Cham
eBook Packages: Mathematics and Statistics, Mathematics and Statistics (R0)
Copyright Information: Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-55192-6Published: 07 November 2020
eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-55193-3Published: 07 November 2020
Series ISSN: 0172-6056
Series E-ISSN: 2197-5604
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XV, 400
Number of Illustrations: 44 b/w illustrations, 91 illustrations in colour
Topics: History of Mathematical Sciences, Geometry, Number Theory, Analysis