The Development of Newtonian Calculus in Britain, 1700 1800

Niccolo Guicciardini

ISBN 10: 0521364663 / ISBN 13: 9780521364669

Published by Cambridge University Press, 1990

About this Item

Druck auf Anfrage Neuware - Printed after ordering - Guicciardini presents a comprehensive survey of both the research and teaching of Newtonian calculus, the calculus of 'fluxions,' over the period between 1700 and 1810. Although Newton was one of the inventors of calculus, the developments in Britain remained separate from the rest of Europe for over a century. While it is usually maintained that after Newton there was a period of decline in British mathematics, the author's research demonstrates that the methods used by researchers of the period yielded considerable success in laying the foundations and investigating the applications of the calculus. Even when 'decline' set in, in mid century, the foundations of the reform were being laid, which were to change the direction and nature of the mathematics community. The book considers the importance of Isaac Newton, Roger Cotes, Brook Taylor, James Stirling, Abraham de Moivre, Colin Maclaurin, Thomas Bayes, John Landen and Edward Waring. This will be a useful book for students and researchers in the history of science, philosophers of science and undergraduates studying the history of mathematics.

Seller Inventory # 9780521364669

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Development of Newtonian Calculus in Britain, 1700 1800
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication Date: 1990
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0521364663
• ISBN 13: 9780521364669
• Binding: Buch
• Condition: Neu
• Dimensions: 235W x 157H x 19D millimeters 235 millimeters width by 157 millimeters height by 19 millimeters depth
• Weight: 552 grams

About this title

Synopsis

This book examines the development of calculus in Britain during the century following Newton. It is usually maintained that this was a period of decline in British mathematics. However, the author's research has shown that the methods used by researchers of the period yielded considerable success in laying the foundations and investigating the applications of the calculus. Even when 'decline' was at its worst point, in mid-century, the foundations of the reform, which were to change the direction and nature of the mathematics community, were being laid. The book considers the importance of the work of mathematicians such as Isaac Newton, Roger Cotes, Brook Taylor, James Stirling, Abraham de Moivre, Colin Maclaurin, Thomas Bayes, John Landen and Edward Waring. It will be useful to science historians and philosophers studying the period, and to students of British history studying the teaching of mathematics.

About the Author

Niccolò Guicciardini holds degrees in physics and philosophy awarded by the Università degli Studi di Milano. This book is the published version of his Ph.D. thesis in the history of mathematics, written under the supervision of Ivor Grattan-Guinness at Middlesex Polytechnic. Niccolò Guicciardini is Co-Editor in Chief of Historia Mathematica and is a recipient of the Sarton Medal for 2011–2012, awarded by the University of Ghent, Belgium.