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Pappus of Alexandria and the Mathematics of Late Antiquity

Pappus of Alexandria and the Mathematics of Late Antiquity

Pappus of Alexandria and the Mathematics of Late Antiquity

Serafina Cuomo, Christ's College, Cambridge
June 2007
Available
Paperback
9780521036894
$58.99
USD
Paperback
USD
Hardback

    This book is at once an analytical study of one of the most important mathematical texts of antiquity, the Mathematical Collection of the fourth-century AD mathematician Pappus of Alexandria, and also an examination of the work's wider cultural setting. This is one of very few books to deal extensively with the mathematics of Late Antiquity. It sees Pappus' text as part of a wider context and relates it to other contemporary cultural practices and opens new avenues to research into the public understanding of mathematics and mathematical disciplines in antiquity.

    • Pappus of Alexandria is quite a neglected subject
    • Relates mathematical practices to other cultural practices in Late Antiquity
    • Concludes that Pappus had a precise agenda and used his sources strategically

    Reviews & endorsements

    "All in all, the publication provides a meaningful and insightful treatment of the mathematics of late antiquity." Mathematical Reviews

    "Readable, interesting, and an eye-opener for those who have only met Greek mathematics at a superficial level. This little book in the 'Cambridge Classical Series' is one that mathematicians interested in the history of their subject will want to read." MAA Online

    "This book contains an abundance of interesting historical material... Cuomo shows that we can learn much from looking at Pappus's Collection in its own right. Her book deserves careful study." Ali Behboud, ISIS

    "The book is well written, in a pleasant style. The argument is based throughout on a wide range of sources, and the pertinence of the source and the leap from source to interpretation is always made clear. The reviewer felt well treated and entertained while reading and quite a bit wiser when closing the book." British Jrnl for the History of Science

    See more reviews

    Product details

    June 2007
    Paperback
    9780521036894
    248 pages
    216 × 141 × 16 mm
    0.336kg
    Available

    Table of Contents

    • Acknowledgements
    • Introduction
    • 1. The outside world
    • 2. Bees and philosophers
    • 3. Inclined planes and architects
    • 4. Altars and strange curves
    • 5. The inside story
    • Bibliography
    • General index
    • Index locorum.
      Author
    • Serafina Cuomo , Birkbeck College, University of London