Mathematics: A Concise History and Philosophy (Undergraduate Texts in Mathematics) - Hardcover

Anglin, W.S.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0387942807 ISBN 13: 9780387942803

Publisher: Springer, 1994

Synopsis

This is a concise introductory textbook for a one-semester (40-class) course in the history and philosophy of mathematics. It is written for mathemat­ ics majors, philosophy students, history of science students, and (future) secondary school mathematics teachers. The only prerequisite is a solid command of precalculus mathematics. On the one hand, this book is designed to help mathematics majors ac­ quire a philosophical and cultural understanding of their subject by means of doing actual mathematical problems from different eras. On the other hand, it is designed to help philosophy, history, and education students come to a deeper understanding of the mathematical side of culture by means of writing short essays. The way I myself teach the material, stu­ dents are given a choice between mathematical assignments, and more his­ torical or philosophical assignments. (Some sample assignments and tests are found in an appendix to this book. ) This book differs from standard textbooks in several ways. First, it is shorter, and thus more accessible to students who have trouble coping with vast amounts of reading. Second, there are many detailed explanations of the important mathematical procedures actually used by famous mathe­ maticians, giving more mathematically talented students a greater oppor­ tunity to learn the history and philosophy by way of problem solving.

About this title

Review

"...The book is well written and will help those who look for a deeper understanding of mathematical culture." -- MATHEMATICAL REVIEWS

Synopsis

This is a concise introductory textbook for a one semester course in the history and philosophy of mathematics. It is written for mathematics majors, philosophy students, history of science students and secondary school mathematics teachers. The only prerequisite is a solid command of pre-calculus mathematics. It is shorter than the standard textbooks in that area and thus more accessible to students who have trouble coping with vast amounts of reading. Furthermore, there are many detailed explanations of the important mathematical procedures actually used by famous mathematicians, giving more mathematically talented students a greater opportunity to learn the history and philosophy by way of problem solving. Several important philosophical topics are pursued throughout the text, giving the student an opportunity to come to a full and consistent knowledge of their development. These topics include infinity, the nature of motion, and Platonism. This book offers, in fewer pages, a deep penetration into the key mathematical and philosophical aspects of the history of mathematics.

Edition details

• Publisher: Springer
• Publication date: 1994
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0387942807
• ISBN 13: 9780387942803
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 276