相关论文: Is mathematical history written by the victors?
Historian Herbert Mehrtens sought to portray the history of turn-of-the-century mathematics as a struggle of modern vs countermodern, led respectively by David Hilbert and Felix Klein. Some of Mehrtens' conclusions have been picked up by…
The Weak Law of Large Numbers is traced chronologically from its inception as Jacob Bernoulli's Theorem in 1713, through De Moivre's Theorem, to ultimate forms due to Uspensky and Khinchin in the 1930s, and beyond. Both aspects of Jacob…
The Binomial Theorem has long been essential in mathematics. In one form or another it was known to the ancients and, in the hands of Leibniz, Newton, Euler, Galois, and others, it became an essential tool in both algebra and analysis.…
We analyze some of the main approaches in the literature to the method of `adequality' with which Fermat approached the problems of the calculus, as well as its source in the parisotes of Diophantus, and propose a novel reading thereof.…
We re-evaluate the great Leibniz-Newton calculus debate, exactly three hundred years after it culminated, in 1712. We reflect upon the concept of invention, and to what extent there were indeed two independent inventors of this new…
In this paper a novel calculus system has been established based on the concept of 'werden'. The basis of logic self-contraction of the theories on current calculus was shown. Mistakes and defects in the structure and meaning of the…
In their account of theory change in logic, Aberdein and Read distinguish 'glorious' from 'inglorious' revolutions--only the former preserves all 'the key components of a theory' [1]. A widespread view, expressed in these terms, is that…
We introduce the ring of Fermat reals, an extension of the real field containing nilpotent infinitesimals. The construction takes inspiration from Smooth Infinitesimal Analysis (SIA), but provides a powerful theory of actual infinitesimals…
This is a brief overview of some turning points in the history of infinitesimals.
We discuss the repercussions of the development of infinitesimal calculus into modern analysis, beginning with viewpoints expressed in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and relating them to the natural cognitive development of…
The discovery of the infinite integer leads to a partition between finite and infinite numbers. Construction of an infinitesimal and infinitary number system, the Gossamer numbers. Du Bois-Reymond's much-greater-than relations and…
In this article we take a historical tour through the Cauchy-Riemann equations and their relationship with Cauchy's theorem on the independence with respect to the path of the integral of a holomorphic function. Because of its importance we…
Georg Cantor was the genuine discoverer of the Mathematical Infinity, and whatever he claimed, suggested, or even surmised should be taken seriously -- albeit not necessary at its face value. Because alongside his exquisite in beauty…
The continuum has been one of the most controversial topics in mathematics since the time of the Greeks. Some mathematicians, such as Euclid and Cantor, held the position that a line is composed of points, while others, like Aristotle, Weyl…
Some classical and recent results on the Euler equations governing perfect (incompressible and inviscid) fluid motion are collected and reviewed, with some small novelties scattered throughout. The perspective and emphasis will be given…
We propose a novel foundation for calculus that focuses on the notion of approximations while avoiding the use of limits altogether. Continuity is defined as approximation at a point, while differentiability is defined as approximation with…
Mathematical conception of infinite quantities forms a cornerstone of many disciplines of modern mathematics --- from differential calculus to set theory. In fact, it could be argued that the most significant revolutions in mathematics in…
We survey the main ideas in the early history of the subjects on which Riemann worked and that led to some of his most important discoveries. The subjects discussed include the theory of functions of a complex variable, elliptic and Abelian…
This preprint is a text for students and teachers on inequalities. Some standard topics are covered on application of calculus to inequality proving. Many examples are considered, stated, solved or partially solved. Some problems are…
Discussions surrounding the nature of the infinite in mathematics have been underway for two millennia. Mathematicians, philosophers, and theologians have all taken part. The basic question has been whether the infinite exists only in…