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Mathematics in Ancient Iraq: A Social History
A new history of mathematics in ancient Mesopotamia, concentrating on its social aspects. Read more
Mathematics Emerging: A Sourcebook 1540 - 1900
A new sourcebook containing the works in their original form along with a translation and a brief commentary. 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.
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| 1610 | Galileo discovered the first ... |
| 1871 | Birthdate of Emile Borel. "I... |
| 1981 | Cathleen S. Morawetz, of the ... |
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Meetings & events dealing with the History of Mathematics
Today's Quotation
And perhaps, posterity will thank me for having shown it that the ancients did not know everything.
In D. M. Burton, Elementary Number Theory, Boston: Allyn and Bacon, Inc., 1976.
Illustrations
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Italian armillary sphere from 1550 |
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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. |
Napier's eA discussion of why we use of "e" to represent the base of the natural logarithm system. |
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Triangles in the Sky: Trigonometry and Early Theories of Planetary MotionA survey of early theories of planetary motion, with dynamic figures to help in understanding these motions. |
Apportioning Representatives in the United States CongressThe history of apportionment of representatives in the U.S. Congress, from the 1790s until today, along with a discussion of the mathematics involved in the various methods. |
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The QuipuA collection of illustrations of Inca quipus, with references to their earliest descriptions. |
What is 0^0?The expression 0^0 is usually called an indeterminate form. This article details the history of the meaning of this expression and concludes that in some cases, we should evaluate this as 1. |
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