Mathematics 390
Here is the full syllabus.
Here's my single favourite history of mathematics web site.
Look there for more information about the history of anything
in mathematics.
First two chapters from our textbook. I
have also recalled the library's copy and placed it on 4-hour
reserve at the library. The entirety of the book may be viewed
from the library online.
Do we want to move the midterm to a Friday, either the one before or
Spring Break?
Here's a place you may leave anonymous
comments about the course.
Here's a list of resources that come to my mind quickly:
William Dunham's Journey through Genius is in
Milne (QA21.D78 1990).
Ronald Calinger's A Contextual
History of Mathematics is another book that connects
history of mathematics with the rest of history. It's also
in Milne (QA21.C188 1999).
Browsing the library in the QA21 section in general is a good
idea.
Here are some other sources that I think highly of:
Morris Kline - Mathematical
Thought from Ancient to Modern Times
Victor Katz - A History
of Mathematics: An Introduction
John Stillwell -
Mathematics and Its History
Historia Mathematica is a journal of history of
mathematics - we have this in the library as well.
Ronald Calinger's Classics of
Mathematics is a source book of original sources, as is
Dirk Struik's Mathematical
Source Book, along with Fauvel and Gray's History of Mathematics: A
Reader. I believe all are in the library.
Cajori, Florian, A history
of mathematical notations.
I have several more sources, but this should be enough to
get you started. Tell me if you seek something.
Here's a student-made timeline up to the end
of the first millennium. And here's a fun
graphical-interactive timeline from someone online. It
doesn't follow our course precisely, but it's a good start and a
place where you use to get going and then add in your own content.
Here's a website just of portraits
of
mathematicians. Note that it says "Note that portraits
of mathematicians from earlier than the fifteenth century are only
suggestive." Once we get ones that are contemporary (and I
think we will somewhat before the 15th century), I'll start
including them in my discussions.
Here's
an article about (and a link to) an online "exhibit" about history
of mathematics at the wonderful Museum of Mathematics. I
have not dug through it, but I am certain there is good information
here.
links
by section:
Return to
my homepage .