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Review of Mathematics Emerging: A Sourcebook 1540-1900
Our reviewer praises the selection of excerpts, the use of facsimiles rather than transcriptions, and the commentary and English translation in this collection. Read more
Review of The Man of Numbers: Fibonacci's Arithmetic Revolution
Author Keith Devlin argues that the impact of the Pisan merchant and his Arabic numbers on medieval Europe was even greater than previously thought. Read more
Review of In Pursuit of the Traveling Salesman
William Cook recounts the history of and computational progress on the traveling salesman problem, emphasizing connections within mathematics and with other disciplines. Read more
Review of The Chinese Roots of Linear Algebra
An excellent and careful study of matrix methods for solving systems of linear equations in first century China. Read more
Review of Eratosthenes' Geography
An English translation of Eratosthenes' Geography, which includes "On the Measurement of the Earth." Read more
Problem from another time...
Brazen Lion
I am a brazen lion; my spouts are my 2 eyes, my mouth, and the flat of my foot. My right eye fills a jar in 2 days, my left eye in 3, and my foot in 4.
See whole problem
Loci: Convergence
Welcome to Convergence! This section of Loci offers a wealth of resources to help you teach mathematics using its history. Please check back regularly for new articles, browse our archived articles in What's in Convergence?, and visit our newest feature, Who's That Mathematician? The Paul R. Halmos Photograph Collection. Make MAA Loci: Convergence your source for mathematics history and its use in teaching!
Convergence editors: Janet Beery, Kathy Clark
Convergence founding editors: Victor Katz, Frank Swetz
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| 1718 | Maria Gaetana Agnesi born in ... |
| 1821 | Pafnuty Chebyshev born in Oka... |
| 1830 | Joseph Fourier died in Paris.... |
 Pick a different day |
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Meetings & events involving the History of Mathematics
Today's Quotation
Every game of skill is susceptible of being played by an automaton.
The Difference Engine, by Doron Swade, Viking, 2000
Mathematical Treasures
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Who's That Mathematician? Images from the Paul R. Halmos Photograph CollectionWe invite you to send us information about photographs of mathematicians taken by Paul Halmos (1916-2006). |
Mathematical TreasuresA collection of images from the George Arthur Plimpton and David Eugene Smith Collections of Mathematical Materials in the Columbia University Library. |
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Georg Cantor at the Dawn of Point-Set TopologyCantor's work on Fourier series provides historical motivation for the study of point-set topology. |
Teaching and Research with Original Sources from the Euler ArchiveHow faculty and students can use and contribute to the MAA Euler Archive! |
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Algebraic Formalism within the Works of Servois and Its Influence on the Development of Linear Operator TheoryHow Servois' failed attempt to construct a foundation for the calculus nonetheless helped shape modern mathematics |
Kepler: The Volume of a Wine BarrelIn his analysis of volumes of wine barrels, Kepler used ideas that would become important in differential and integral calculus. Use this article's animated visual imagery to help share Kepler's ideas with your students. |
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Peano on Wronskians: A TranslationHow a translation of Peano's counterexample to the 'theorem' that a zero Wronskian implies linear dependence can help your differential equations students |
Extending al-Karaji's Work on Sums of Odd Powers of IntegersAn extension of Al-Karaji's formula for the sum of the cubes by a 19th century Turkish author and journal editor |
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Maya Calendar ConversionsThe authors provide descriptions of Maya calendar systems, photos of artifacts, examples of calendar conversions, and exercises for classroom use. |
Combining Strands of Many Colors: Episodes from Medieval Islam for the Mathematics ClassroomThe author presents five modules based on mathematics from medieval Islamic cultures for use in a variety of high school and college mathematics courses. |
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