The History Of Mathematics An Introduction David Burton Pdf

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May 17, 2013 Jimyanni rated it really liked it

Not, I suppose, a good fit for everyone, but if the reader has any curiosity at all regarding the subject, this is an excellent look at the development of Mathematical thought from ancient times through the present. The only flaw I can find worth quibbling about is that at times, especially as the subjects being addressed approached the modern era, a certain level of familiarity with the material being discussed was assumed on the part of the reader, such that it was more than passing difficult Not, I suppose, a good fit for everyone, but if the reader has any curiosity at all regarding the subject, this is an excellent look at the development of Mathematical thought from ancient times through the present. The only flaw I can find worth quibbling about is that at times, especially as the subjects being addressed approached the modern era, a certain level of familiarity with the material being discussed was assumed on the part of the reader, such that it was more than passing difficult to follow the discussion if one wasn't at least passably fluent with set theory, as just one example. Some of the terminology used in these cases without explanation was more than a touch impenetrable, and considering that the topics being discussed were topics that are rarely discussed until at least upper-level undergraduate courses and frequently beyond, it is not unreasonable to expect enough explanation to enable someone without much previous exposure to the concepts to at least understand what is being discussed; because there was not even that much explanation, I would not recommend the last couple of chapters to anyone without at least some graduate level math courses under their belt. Most of the book, though, did not suffer from this problem and was quite readable. ...more

Working my way through thus lovely tome for the fourth or fifth time. I love this book---working math in the style of those who developed the methods us awesome!!!

Dec 04, 2013 John rated it really liked it

Anyone interested in the history of science should try to get their hands on this book. It has been a go-to book for me for the last ten years. There is a lot of propaganda on the web today regarding the role of Islam and the East in the development of Western science and mathematics. My advice on this is to stick with mainstream scholarship on the subject. Islam and the East have certainly had a role to play but as you will find in the pages of this book, it is not nearly as prominent as it see Anyone interested in the history of science should try to get their hands on this book. It has been a go-to book for me for the last ten years. There is a lot of propaganda on the web today regarding the role of Islam and the East in the development of Western science and mathematics. My advice on this is to stick with mainstream scholarship on the subject. Islam and the East have certainly had a role to play but as you will find in the pages of this book, it is not nearly as prominent as it seems fashionable in some fringe circles to suppose. ...more

Jan 22, 2009 Chris Kemp rated it really liked it

Being a textbook, this is not a book for everyone. However, if you are "into" mathematics, and especially love the history of math, and history in general, you'll love it if you put forth the effort. It's full of interesting vignettes about how math evolved, set in the context of what was going on socio-politically at the time. The lives, hardships, and successes of all the world's greatest mathematicians are discussed. Really quite a fascinating book, in my opinion. Being a textbook, this is not a book for everyone. However, if you are "into" mathematics, and especially love the history of math, and history in general, you'll love it if you put forth the effort. It's full of interesting vignettes about how math evolved, set in the context of what was going on socio-politically at the time. The lives, hardships, and successes of all the world's greatest mathematicians are discussed. Really quite a fascinating book, in my opinion. ...more

Jun 14, 2016 Brian rated it liked it

A great course and a good book, though I didn't love the book I do think it is well done. A great course and a good book, though I didn't love the book I do think it is well done. ...more