Taming the Unknown

A History of Algebra from Antiquity to the Early Twentieth Century

Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Mathematics, Algebra, History
Cover of the book Taming the Unknown by Victor J. Katz, Karen Hunger Parshall, Princeton University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Victor J. Katz, Karen Hunger Parshall ISBN: 9781400850525
Publisher: Princeton University Press Publication: July 21, 2014
Imprint: Princeton University Press Language: English
Author: Victor J. Katz, Karen Hunger Parshall
ISBN: 9781400850525
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Publication: July 21, 2014
Imprint: Princeton University Press
Language: English

What is algebra? For some, it is an abstract language of x's and y’s. For mathematics majors and professional mathematicians, it is a world of axiomatically defined constructs like groups, rings, and fields. Taming the Unknown considers how these two seemingly different types of algebra evolved and how they relate. Victor Katz and Karen Parshall explore the history of algebra, from its roots in the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, China, and India, through its development in the medieval Islamic world and medieval and early modern Europe, to its modern form in the early twentieth century.

Defining algebra originally as a collection of techniques for determining unknowns, the authors trace the development of these techniques from geometric beginnings in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia and classical Greece. They show how similar problems were tackled in Alexandrian Greece, in China, and in India, then look at how medieval Islamic scholars shifted to an algorithmic stage, which was further developed by medieval and early modern European mathematicians. With the introduction of a flexible and operative symbolism in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, algebra entered into a dynamic period characterized by the analytic geometry that could evaluate curves represented by equations in two variables, thereby solving problems in the physics of motion. This new symbolism freed mathematicians to study equations of degrees higher than two and three, ultimately leading to the present abstract era.

Taming the Unknown follows algebra’s remarkable growth through different epochs around the globe.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

What is algebra? For some, it is an abstract language of x's and y’s. For mathematics majors and professional mathematicians, it is a world of axiomatically defined constructs like groups, rings, and fields. Taming the Unknown considers how these two seemingly different types of algebra evolved and how they relate. Victor Katz and Karen Parshall explore the history of algebra, from its roots in the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, China, and India, through its development in the medieval Islamic world and medieval and early modern Europe, to its modern form in the early twentieth century.

Defining algebra originally as a collection of techniques for determining unknowns, the authors trace the development of these techniques from geometric beginnings in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia and classical Greece. They show how similar problems were tackled in Alexandrian Greece, in China, and in India, then look at how medieval Islamic scholars shifted to an algorithmic stage, which was further developed by medieval and early modern European mathematicians. With the introduction of a flexible and operative symbolism in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, algebra entered into a dynamic period characterized by the analytic geometry that could evaluate curves represented by equations in two variables, thereby solving problems in the physics of motion. This new symbolism freed mathematicians to study equations of degrees higher than two and three, ultimately leading to the present abstract era.

Taming the Unknown follows algebra’s remarkable growth through different epochs around the globe.

More books from Princeton University Press

Cover of the book Why Adjudicate? by Victor J. Katz, Karen Hunger Parshall
Cover of the book Lecture Notes in Microeconomic Theory by Victor J. Katz, Karen Hunger Parshall
Cover of the book Building Anglo-Saxon England by Victor J. Katz, Karen Hunger Parshall
Cover of the book QED by Victor J. Katz, Karen Hunger Parshall
Cover of the book The Monotheists: Jews, Christians, and Muslims in Conflict and Competition, Volume I by Victor J. Katz, Karen Hunger Parshall
Cover of the book Understanding the Digital World by Victor J. Katz, Karen Hunger Parshall
Cover of the book A History of Ambiguity by Victor J. Katz, Karen Hunger Parshall
Cover of the book Accelerating Democracy by Victor J. Katz, Karen Hunger Parshall
Cover of the book The Religious Left and Church-State Relations by Victor J. Katz, Karen Hunger Parshall
Cover of the book Imperfect Garden by Victor J. Katz, Karen Hunger Parshall
Cover of the book The American Musical and the Performance of Personal Identity by Victor J. Katz, Karen Hunger Parshall
Cover of the book The Battle for Yellowstone by Victor J. Katz, Karen Hunger Parshall
Cover of the book The NSA Report by Victor J. Katz, Karen Hunger Parshall
Cover of the book Hybrids of Plants and of Ghosts by Victor J. Katz, Karen Hunger Parshall
Cover of the book Guru English by Victor J. Katz, Karen Hunger Parshall
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy