A Discourse Concerning Algebra

Close

https://global.oup.com/academic/covers/pop-up/9780198524953

A Discourse Concerning Algebra

English Algebra to 1685

Jacqueline A. Stedall

Provides a well written account of the origin of algebra
Includes new research in the history of English algebra
Discusses the work of John Wallis, Oughtred, Harriot, Pell and Brouncker
Contains illustrations and tables from original texts and manuscripts

A Discourse Concerning Algebra

English Algebra to 1685

Jacqueline A. Stedall

Description

A Discourse Concerning Algebra, provides a new and readable account of the rise of algebra in England from the Medieval period to the later years of the 17th Century.Stedall's book follows the reception and dissemination of important algebraic ideas and methods from continental Europe and the consequent revolution in the state of English mathematics in the 17th century.

A Discourse Concerning Algebra

English Algebra to 1685

Jacqueline A. Stedall

Table of Contents

1. A large discourse concerning algebra
2. How algebra was entertained and cultivated in Europe
3. Ariadne's thread: William Oughtred's Clavis
4. Rob'd of glories: Thomas Harriot and his Treatise on equations
5. Moving the Alps: uncovering the mathematics of John Pell
6. Reading between the lines: John Wallis's Arithmetica infinitorum
7. Catching Proteus: the mathematics of William Brouncker
8. 'Many pretty things worth looking into'
Notes
Bibliographies
Index

A Discourse Concerning Algebra

English Algebra to 1685

Jacqueline A. Stedall

Reviews and Awards

"History has not been kind to John Wallis' early attempt at writing a history of algebra up to his time...Few have sought to appreciate the book in the context of Wallis' work and the state of mathematics during his lifetime. It is exactly this tht Stedall sets out to do in the book under review here and the results of her findings make for a riveting read."--Eisso Atzema, MAA Online