Books: History

HISTORY

ORIGINAL SOURCES:

Calinger, Ronald(ed.). Classics of Mathematics. Prentice-Hall, Inc.. Englewood Cliffs. 1995.
This book is intended for the "intelligent nonspecialist". The editor's experience in teaching the history of mathematics influenced his choices. Information is provided on the nature mathematics with cultural and historical perspectives. The chapters are arranged in chronological order and include biographies from antiquity to the 20th century. Arabic, Chinese, Indian and Mayan contributions are included. Advanced.

Struik, Dirk(ed.). A Source Book in Mathematics, 1200 - 1800. Harvard University Press. Cambridge. 1969
This is a classic using mostly Western sources through the 18th century. Chapter are arranged by topic: arithmetic, algebra, geometry, analysis before Newton and Leibniz, and school around Newton and Leibniz. Advanced.

GENERAL HISTORIES:

Boyer, Carl. A History of Mathematics. Princeton University Press. Princeton. 1968.
The reader of this book is presupposed to have the mathematical background of a college junior or senior, but much of the book is accessible by students who are less prepared. Each chapter has exercises that vary in difficulty and include essay questions. There are illustrations that would be useful in the classroom. Topics are chronological.

Smith, D.E.. History of Mathematics. (Volumes I, II). Dover Publications, Inc.. New York. 1953.
There volumes were written to supply teachers and students with a usable book on the history of elementary mathematics. The volumes cover a large number of topics and include materials appropriate for the algebra classroom as well as early calculus. Volume I is arranged in chronological order with reference to cultural and geographical settings. Volume I also contains the extensive index. Volume II is arranged by topic. Volume II has many wonderful illustrations that would interest students. V.II, p. 217 has a 1514 attempt to use Roman numerals with fractions.

HISTORICALLY ORIENTED MATHEMATICS BOOKS:

Dunham, William. Journey Through Genius, The Great Theorems of Mathematics. Penguin Books. New York. 1990.
This book has inspired many mathematicians because of the way Dunham uses original sources. The great theorems span 2300 years and are described in their historical and cultural settings. The author also has us appreciate the lives of the human beings who worked on their beloved theorems. It is a pleasure to read but more than that, very satisfying to work through the original proofs. One truly gets an idea of how creative these people were. The author intended that readers knowing algebra and geometry would have the background for most of the chapters, the exception being one chapter requiring some trigonometry and another requiring elementary differential calculus. A FAVORITE

Eves, Howard. Great Moments in Mathematics.(Before 1650). The Mathematical Association of America. 1983.
Eves, Howard. Great Moments in Mathematics.(After 1650). The Mathematical Association of America. 1983.
These two volumes consist of summaries of forty-three lectures given by Eves as part of a two semester math history course at Oregon State University. He wanted to appeal to a college or college-community audience and hoped to avoid "truly prohibiting or frightening prerequisites". He also wanted to challenge the better math students, provide ideas for student research and encourage teachers the use the materials. Each lecture is fairly independent and is followed by a range of exercises that might appeal to an elementary algebra or calculus student. Teachers could easily refer interested students to chapters on group theory, or a non-Euclidean geometry and know that the student will come away with an elementary understanding of the topic. Many of the homework exercises could be used to supplement and enrich the entire range of lower division math classes. A FAVORITE

Laubenbacher, Reinhard & Pengelley, David. Mathematical Expeditions: Chronicles by the Explorers. Springer-Verlag. New York. 1999.
David is a frequent visitor to Humboldt State University and is an advocate of using original sources. The chapters trace five central themes in the evolution of mathematics and include materials on the parallel postulate, the world of infinite sets, calculations of areas and volumes, Fermat's last theorem, and the search for methods to solve general algebraic equations. The textbook grew out of an honors program for high school students. Be sure to check out the extensive references.

COLLECTIONS OF HISTORICALLY ORIENTED ARTICLES:

Newman, James (ed.). The World of Mathematics (4 volumes). Simon & Schuster. New York. 1956.
This small library of essays and commentaries provides faculty and student alike with the opportunity to read the words of many great mathematicians. Because the essays are short and independent, they are easily accessed for classroom use or assigned reading. Volume I includes history, biography, arithmetic, and space and motion. Volume II covers math and the physical world, math and social sciences, and the laws of chance. Volume III discusses statistics, group theory, mathematical structures and ways of thinking, and logic. Volume IV covers the mathematician, math machines, math in warfare, literature, music, and culture as well as math puzzles.
Swetz, Frank (ed.), From Five Fingers to Infinity: A Journey Through the History of Mathematics.Open Court. Peru. 1994.
A collection of articles by some of my favorite authors: Eves, Meserve, Struik, Swetz, Boyer, Kline, Cajori, Rickey, Dunham, Grabiner. Many of the articles are reprinted from The Mathematics Teacher and are appropriate for a wide range of community college students. Each article is independent, although grouped together with broad section headings: Why the History of Mathematics, Human Impact and and Societal Structuring of Mathematics, Non-Western Mathematics, etc. A FAVORITE

SPECIALIZED HISTORIES:

Aczel, Amir D.. Fermat's Last Theorem, Unlocking the Secret of an Ancient mathematical Problem.Four Walls Eight Windows. New York. 1996.
Ken Ribet(UCB), p. 115 "Ribet was at a meeting on arithmetic algebraic geometry in Arcata, California. He began thinking about Frey's problem....."

Beckmann, Peter. A History of Pi. Golem Press. 1971.

Berklinski, David. A Tour of the Calculus. Random House, Inc. New York. 1997.

Joseph, G.. The Crest of the Peacock: Non-European Roots of Mathematics.

Kaplan, Robert. The Nothing That Is, A Natural History of Zero. Oxford University Press. Oxford. 1999.

Morris, Morris. Mathematics in Western Culture. Oxford University Press. Oxford. 1953.

Maor, Eli. e: The Story of a Number. Princeton University Press. Princeton. 1994.

Mlodinow, Leonard. Euclid's Window, The Story of Geometry from Parallel Lines to Hyperspace.Simon & Schuster. New York. 2001.

Seife, Charles. Zero, The Biography of a Dangerous Idea. Penguin Books. New York. 2000.
A FAVORITE
Singh, Simon. The Code Book. Fourth Estate Limited. London. 2000.

Singh, Simon. Fermat's Enigma. Random House, Inc. New York. 1998.
A FAVORITE

CLASSROOM MATERIALS:

Pappas, Theoni. The Joy of Mathematics, Discovering Mathematics All Around You. Wide World Publishing. San Carlos. 1989.

Smith, Sanderson M.. Agnesi to Zeno, Over 100 Vignettes from the History of Math. Key Curriculum Press. Emeryville. 1996.
A FAVORITE

Luetta Reimer, Wilbert and Luetta. Historical Connection in Mathematics. Aims Educational Foundation. Fresno. 1992.

REFERENCE WORKS

Cajori, Florian. A History of Mathematical Notations, V. I, II.

PERIODICALS

"The British Society for the History of Mathematics".

"The College Mathematics Journal". Mathematical Association of America

"The Mathematics Teacher". National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
A FAVORITE

Maintained by Michele Olsen, College of the Redwoods