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Calculus Gems: Brief Lives and Memorable Mathematics
 
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Calculus Gems: Brief Lives and Memorable Mathematics (Paperback)

by George F. Simmons (Author)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 355 pages
  • Publisher: McGraw-Hill Inc.,US (1 April 1992)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0070575665
  • ISBN-13: 978-0070575660
  • Product Dimensions: 23.5 x 15.9 x 1.3 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 3,211,358 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
  • See Complete Table of Contents

Product Description

Product Description

"Calculus Gems", a collection of essays written about mathematicians and mathematics, is a spin-off of two appendices ("Biographical Notes" and "Variety of Additional Topics") found in Simmons' 1985 calculus book. With many additions and some minor adjustments, the material will now be available in a separate softcover volume. The text is suitable as a supplement for a calculus course and/or a history of mathematics course, The overall aim is bound up in the question, "What is mathematics for?" and in Simmons' answer, "To delight the mind and help us understand the world". The essays are independent of one another, allowing the instructor to pick and choose among them. Part A, "Brief Lives", is a biographical history of mathematics from earliest times (Thales, 625-547 BC) through the late 19th century (Weierstrass, 1815-1897) that serves to connect mathematics to the broader intellectual and social history of Western civilization. Part B, "Memorable Mathematics", is a collection of interesting topics from number theory, geometry, and science arranged in an order roughly corresponding to the order of most calculus courses. Some of these sections have a few problems for the student to solve. Students can gain perspective on the mathematical experience and learn some mathematics not contained in the usual courses, and instructors can assign student papers and projects based on the essays. The book teaches by example that mathematics is more than computation. Original illustrations of influential mathematicians in history and their inventions accompany the brief biographies and mathematical discussions.

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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A lively collection of biographies, but with gaps, 7 Mar 2008
By R. Wilson (Yorkshire, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This is an entertaining book for those students of mathematics who have an interest in the people who built their subject, and not just in the subject itself. To get full value from the book you will need mathematical skills, but there is also a lot of value in just reading the stories and seeing how these thinkers fit into wider cultural patterns.

It is, however, very much a Western book. There is no mention here of Arab or Indian mathematics. I would have thought Al-Khwarizmi (source of our words algorithm and algebra) and Brahmagupta (who first mastered the concept of zero) merited as much attention as Cavalieri or Pappus.
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