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Text: Great Moments in
Mathematics Before 1650
Howard Eves
Mathematical Association of America
Great Moments in Mathematics After 1650
Howard Eves
Mathematical Association of America
Journey Through Genius
William Dunham
Penguin
Material: We will make a more or less chronological grand tour through the development of mathematics. We will study some of the great ideas that have advanced mathematics through the ages. We will look at some of the extremely ingenious solutions to seemingly insoluble problems that have lead to advances in the body of knowledge that we call mathematics. We will try to integrate this information into something approximating a coherent whole.
To see a VERY brief summary of how to enroll in the Blackboard site, click here.
Note: For students registered for MATH 5008, there is an "Education" component to this course; for details, click here.
Web Resources: There is an absolutely terrific site at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland called the History of Mathematics Archive. This site has biographies of over 1100 mathematicians, a collection of famous curves, history topics, mathematicians of the day, search capabilities, and links to many other interesting sites. It is well worth the trip! Another very interesting site is the Prof. David Joyce's Home Page at Clark University. Of course, you can always search for "History of Mathematics" on Google.
Grade: Two problem sets worth 22% each, a midterm worth 21% and a final worth 25%; and a paper worth 10%.
Office: Brownson Wing 8 Phone: 323-5324
I can, of course, always be reached by email at
hours: Monday and Thursday, 12:30 - 1:30
Wednesday, 1:00 - 2:00
and by appointment
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