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Mathematical Works Printed in the Americas, 1554-1700
A bibliographical reference to mathematics books printed in the new world before 1700. Read more
The Mathematics of the Heavens and the Earth
A comprehensive history of trigonometry from ancient times to the Renaissance. Read more
Mathematics in India
A survey of over two thousand years of the history of mathematics on the Indian subcontinent. Read more
Problem from another time...
A Perfect Cone Sugarloaf
Three persons bought a sugar loaf in the form of a perfect cone 25"" high and agreed to divide it...what was the slant height of each one's share?
See whole problem
Loci: Convergence
We welcome you to this section of Loci which provides a wealth of resources to help teach mathematics using its history. It is a continuation of MAA's earlier online publication Convergence. Please check back regularly, look at all the archived articles, and give us your comments and suggestions. The editors of this section continue to be Victor J. Katz and Frank Swetz. Frank continues to be responsible for reviews (or "annotations") and is very much involved in the continued expansion of Mathematical Treasures.
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| 1822 | Babbage introduced "differenc... |
| 1897 | Jesse Douglas born. He was a... |
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Meetings & events dealing with the History of Mathematics
Today's Quotation
Mathematics was born and nurtured in a cultural environment. Without the perspective which the cultural background affords, a proper appreciation of the content and state of present-day mathematics is hardly possible.
In The American Mathematical Monthly, March 1994.
Illustrations
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This is the title page of Johannes Kepler’s Astronomia Nova published in Linz in 1609. In translation its full title reads “New Astronomy based upon Causes or Celestial Physics". Further clarification is also added, “Treated by means of commentaries on the Motion of the Star Mar, from observations of Tycho Brahe, Gent.” Thus using Tycho Brahe’s data, Kepler focused work on the orbit of Mars. His ten year investigation led him to conclude that the orbit of Mars was not a circle but another conic section, an ellipse. In this book he substantiates and formulates two of his laws: 1. Planets orbit the sun on elliptical paths. 2. The sun serves as one focus of these ellipses. | |
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Mathematical TreasuresA collection of images from the George Arthur Plimpton and David Eugene Smith Collections of Mathematical Materials in the Columbia University Library. |
HOM-SIGMAA Award Winners, 2009These are the winning papers for the annual HOM-SIGMAA writing contest in the history of mathematics. |
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Sums of Powers of Positive IntegersA history of numerous attempts to develop formulas expressing the sums of powers of the first n positive integers. |
Investigating Euler's Polyhedral Formula Using Original SourcesThe works of Leonhard Euler are often particularly mathematically accessible to readers; many of his papers contain an abundance of examples as well as a gradual progression of ideas. We will discuss how teachers can use Euler's original works in a classroom setting to explore the polyhedral formula and related results. |
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A Locally Compact REU in the History of Mathematics: Involving Undergraduates in ResearchA description of a Research Experience for Undergraduates conducted in 2007 at Hood College. |
James Gregory and the Pappus-Guldin TheoremAn analysis of James Gregory's proof of the Pappus-Guldin theorem, along with the original documents both in Latin and English. |
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