Redefining Geometrical Exactness: Descartes' Transformation of the Early Modern Concept of Construction

Until the 17th century, rigor and exactness in mathematics meant geometry and Euclid. Other means of confirming results, such as computation, were considered inferior to the traditional constructions using ruler and compass. In 1637 Descartes introduced what is now called analytical geometry, which made algebraic methods equal to geometry in the methods of mathematics. In this detailed study, Bos explores the origins of what is meant by "rigor" in mathematics, and how that definition evolved to include the use of new geometric and algebraic methods.

Author: Henk J. M. Bos
Publisher: Springer
Published: 10/21/2012
Pages: 472
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.88lbs
Size: 10.00h x 7.00w x 1.00d
ISBN: 9781461265214