The ellipse : a historical and mathematical journey /

"The Ellipse features a unique, narrative approach when presenting the development of this mathematical fixture, revealing its parallels to mankind's advancement from the Counter-Reformation to the Enlightenment. Incorporating illuminating historical background and examples, the author bri...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Mazer, Arthur, 1958-
Format: eBook
Language:English
Published: Hoboken, N.J. : Wiley, [2010]
Series:Wiley online library.
Subjects:
Online Access:Connect to the full text of this electronic book
Table of Contents:
  • Chapter 1: Introduction.
  • Chapter 2. The trail: starting out
  • 2.1. A sticky matter
  • 2.2. Numbers
  • Chapter 3: The space: geometry
  • 3.1. Euclidean space, dimension and rescaling
  • 3.2. Measurements of various objects
  • Chapter 4: The language: algebra
  • 4.1. Cartesian coordinates and translation of the axes
  • 4.2. Polynomials
  • 4.3. Circles
  • 4.4 The four-dimensional sphere
  • 4.5. Finite series and induction
  • 4.6. Linear algebra in two dimensions
  • 4.7. The ellipse
  • Chapter 5: The universal tool: trigonometry
  • 5.2. Graphs of the sine, cosine, and tangent functions
  • 5.3. Rotations
  • 5.4. Identities
  • 5.5. Lucky
  • 5.6. Ptolemy and Aristarchus
  • 5.7 Drawing a pentagon
  • 5.8. Polar coordinates
  • 5.9. The determinant
  • Chapter 6: The slayer: calculus
  • 6.1. Studies of motion and the fundamental theorem of calculus
  • 6.2. More motion: going in circles
  • 6.3. More differential calculus
  • 6.4. More integral calculus
  • 6.5. Potpourri
  • Chapter 7: Eight minutes that changed history
  • 7.1. Newton's laws of motion
  • 7.2. Galilean checkpoint
  • 7.3. Constants of motion and energy
  • 7.4. Kepler and Newton: Aristarchus redeemed.
  • Front Matter
  • Introduction
  • The Trail: Starting Out
  • The Space: Geometry
  • The Language: Algebra
  • The Universal Tool: Trigonometry
  • The Slayer: Calculus
  • Eight Minutes that Changed History
  • Epilogue
  • Bibliography
  • Index.