"This is a beautiful, important book, a pleasure to read, in which the history recounted truly illuminates the mathematical ideas, and the ideas themselves are superbly explained; a wonderful accomplishment." — Barry Mazur, Harvard University Designed for students just beginning their study of the discipline, this concise introductory history of mathematics is supplemented by brief but in-depth sketches of the more important individual topics. Covering such subjects as algebra symbols, negative numbers, the metric system, quadratic equations, and much more, this widely adopted work invites and encourages further study of mathematics. "Math Through the Ages is a treasure, one of the best history of math books at its level ever written. Somehow, it manages to stay true to a surprisingly sophisticated story, while respecting the needs of its audience. Its overview of the subject captures most of what one needs to know, and the 30 sketches are small gems of exposition that stimulate further exploration." — Glen Van Brummelen, Quest University

Math Through the Ages: A Gentle History for Teachers and Others (Dover Books on Mathematics)

Science & Math

Berlinghoff, William P.

Gouvêa, Fernando Q.

Mathematics

Dover Publications

Where did maths come from? Who thought up all those algebra symbols, and why? What's the story behind ... negative numbers? ... the metric system? ... quadratic equations? ... sine and cosine? The 25 independent sketches in Math through the Ages answer these questions and many others in an informal, easygoing style that's accessible to teachers, students, and anyone who is curious about the history of mathematical ideas. Each sketch contains Questions and Projects to help you learn more about its topic and to see how its main ideas fit into the bigger picture of history. The 25 short stories are preceded by a 56-page bird's-eye overview of the entire panorama of mathematical history, a whirlwind tour of the most important people, events, and trends that shaped the mathematics we know today. Reading suggestions after each sketch provide starting points for readers who want to pursue a topic further.

Math through the Ages: A Gentle History for Teachers and Others (Mathematical Association of America Textbooks)

The Mathematical Association of America

'Where did math come from? Who thought up all those algebra symbols, and why? This text answers these questions and many other in an informal, easygoing style that's accessible to teachers, students and anyone who is curious about the history of mathematical ideas."

Math Through the Ages: A Gentle History for Teachers and Others

Oxton House Pub

"What's new in this edition? We have added new content and also tried to make improvements to the existing material. There are five new historical sketches, on: The tangent function and how it made its way into trigonometry. Logarithms, both decimal and natural. Conic sections: ellipses, parabolas, and hyperbolas. Irrational numbers. The derivative. As always, each of these come with Questions and Projects that try to address both the mathematics and the history, challenging students to go deeper into the topic. We also worked through the whole book to improve, correct, and update. Research on the history of mathematics continues, and we have learned new things over the last ten years. Historians make mistakes, especially when they are quoting other historians, and we have tried to correct all the ones that we knew about. Many new books have been published over the last dozen years, so the bibliography has been completely updated and the notes on "what to read next" reflect the latest resources. The questions and projects have been examined and, when it seemed appropriate, revised. The Instructor's Guide was thoroughly revised as well"--

Math Through The Ages

Gouvêa, Fernando Q. (fernando Quadros)

A Joint Publication Of Oxton House Publishers And The Mathematical Association Of America

Recipient of the Mathematical Association of America's Beckenbach Book Prize in 2007! Where did math come from? Who thought up all those algebra symbols, and why? What's the story behind ? ... negative numbers? ... the metric system? ... quadratic equations? ... sine and cosine? The 25 independent sketches in Math through the Ages answer these questions and many others in an informal, easygoing style that's accessible to teachers, students, and anyone who is curious about the history of mathematical ideas. Each sketch contains Questions and Projects to help you learn more about its topic and to see how its main ideas fit into the bigger picture of history. The 25 short stories are preceded by a 56-page bird's-eye overview of the entire panorama of mathematical history, a whirlwind tour of the most important people, events, and trends that shaped the mathematics we know today. Reading suggestions after each sketch provide starting points for readers who want to pursue a topic further.

Math through the Ages: A Gentle History for Teachers and Students (Maa Textbooks)

American Mathematical Society