Overview
- Explores the origins of mathematics in civilisations around the world
- Suggests interesting connections about mathematical reasoning among cultures in different ages
- Expresses mathematical and historical facts in charming and original language, making for a very pleasant read
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About this book
This volume, originally published in China and translated into four other languages, presents a fascinating and unique account of the history of mathematics, divided into eight chronologically organized chapters. Tracing the development of mathematics across disparate regions and peoples, with particular emphasis on the relationship between mathematics and civilization, it examines mathematical sources and inspirations leading from Egypt, Babylon and ancient Greece and expanding to include Chinese, Indian and Arabic mathematics, the European Renaissance and the French revolution up through the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. Each chapter explores connections among mathematics and cultural elements of the time and place treated, accompanying the reader in a varied and exciting journey through human civilizations. The book contemplates the intersections of mathematics with other disciplines, including the relationship between modern mathematics and modern art, and the resultingapplications, with the aid of images and photographs, often taken by the author, which further enhance the enjoyment for the reader.
Written for a general audience, this book will be of interest to anyone who's studied mathematics in university or even high school, while also benefiting researchers in mathematics and the humanities.
Written for a general audience, this book will be of interest to anyone who's studied mathematics in university or even high school, while also benefiting researchers in mathematics and the humanities.
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Table of contents (8 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Back Matter
Reviews
“This is a smoothly written translation of a revision of the author’s Chinese textbook published in 2012. Aimed at a general readership, the style is explicitly influenced by that of M. Kline … . It provides historical accounts that are often opinionated and more readable than the usual history textbooks. … The book is generally well-produced and amply illustrated though several figures … .” (Albert C. Lewis, zbMATH 1539.01001, 2024)
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Cai Tianxin was born in Taizhou, in southeastern China in 1963. He received his doctorate in science in 1987 from Shandong University, and currently serves as an outstanding professor at the School of Mathematics at Zhejiang University. In his capacity as a professor of mathematics, Cai proposed a class of Diophantine equations that was hailed as a “truly original contribution” by the British mathematician and recipient of the Fields Medal Alan Baker. He is also a poet, writer, and photographer, who has published more than forty literary and scholarly works, translated variously into more than twenty languages, including seven works translated into English. For his poetical and literary works, Cai was awarded the Naji Naaman Poetry Prize (Beirut) in 2013, and the Kathak Literary Award(Dakar) in 2019. In 2022, he was selected as an influential writer on Dangdang (the Chinese analogue to Amazon.com).
Accessibility Information
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EPUB accessibility summary
This ebook is designed with accessibility in mind, aiming to meet the ePub Accessibility 1.0 AA and WCAG 2.0 Level AA standards. Its features include described images and other non-text content, screenreader-friendly navigation and accessible math. Math is represented either as MathML, LaTeX or in images. If math is represented as image, Alt Text might not be present. We recognize the importance of accessibility, and we welcome queries about accessibility for any of our products. If you have a question or an access need, please get in touch with us at [email protected].
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: A Brief History of Mathematics
Book Subtitle: A Promenade through the Civilizations of Our World
Authors: Tianxin Cai
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-26841-0
Publisher: Birkhäuser Cham
eBook Packages: Mathematics and Statistics, Mathematics and Statistics (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-031-26840-3Published: 26 July 2023
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-031-26843-4Published: 27 July 2024
eBook ISBN: 978-3-031-26841-0Published: 25 July 2023
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XV, 344
Number of Illustrations: 13 b/w illustrations, 19 illustrations in colour
Topics: History of Mathematical Sciences, Mathematics in the Humanities and Social Sciences, Mathematics in Art and Architecture