History of Mathematics

Catalog description

History of Mathematics: One of two periods will be covered: 1) Pre-17th century history: Mathematical contributions of various cultures and eras from ancient Babylonia to 16th century Europe are reviewed with special focus on Greek mathematics. The history is viewed through the problems of the various epics studied. 2) Early modern history: A historical account of the genesis of trigonometry, logarithms, analytical geometry, calculus, and the study of functions, with an emphasis on the period of the European scientific revolution (1600-1750). Original works by noted mathematicians will be examined in order to understand the evolution of our current mathematics curriculum. May be repeated for credit when the periods differ.