History of Math: Presentations

Please post a brief abstract and title of your talk here. This would help others to know beforehand what you will be talking about. Also, if you have some comments to make after you listen to a talk, this is the place to share those comments.

Mathematics in the Newtonian Era

We will now move on to the last and exciting phase of the early modern mathematics which is the Newtonian era (17th century). Some of the highlights of this period are: analytic geometry of Descartes (a blend of Greek geometry and Indian algebra), Probability theory by Pascal and Fermat, Number theory by Fermat, and last but not the least, the inception of Calculus by Newton and Leibniz which has eventually shaped the modern world in which we live. As you can see this is a huge treasure of knowledge on which modern mathematics is based upon. Please read the relevant chapters from the book and post your comments. I look forward to reading them.

Mathematics in the Renaissance

We will now talk about the mathematical developments that took place in the 15th and 16th centuries in Europe. This period is generally referred as "Renaissance" which means "rebirth" (from the dark ages). There is a lot of incredibly beautiful mathematics which was developed during this period which initiated in Italy. Although there were many other developments during the Renaissance we will focus on the mathematical developments and look how they effected other fields of enquiry: art, music, navigation, physics and astronomy. Please post your comments here.

Mathematics in China and India

Having seen some fascinating Greek Mathematics, it is time to move on to study Mathematics done in other parts of the world. This week we will focus on China and India. We will start with the Chinese mathematics and then talk about mathematics in the Indian subcontinent. Share your thoughts on the Chinese math and Indian math here. Both China and India have a very long and rich history. So there is a lot to learn from these ancient cultures besides Mathematics. When you read these chapters, you should compare and contrast them with the Greek and pre-Greek civilizations. Take notes as you read the book and please feel free to discuss your thoughts on the blog and in class.

Greek Mathematics

We are currently talking about the Greek Mathematics. In my opinion this is the most fascinating part of Mathematics. Please feel free to share your thoughts and comments on the topics we are covering in class on this blog. Here you have 100% freedom of thought and speech. This blog is a forum for students in the class to share their ideas. You will get participation points for posting messages and replying to the posts. So welcome aboard to the fascinating journey of the history of Mathematics and post your ideas and comments as you read the book.