The sole edition of Robert Recorde's The Whetstone of Witte was
printed at London by John Kingston in 1557. One of Recorde's
concerns in this book is to develop not only a means of
representing powers of numbers, but also a means of naming them.
Prior to the development of a numerical index notation, the names
given to the powers was of considerable importance. Hence in these
pages we find terminology which is now archaic, for instance the
strange word zenzizenzizenzike, the name for the eighth power of a
number. It is generally acknowledged that Recorde's treatise on
algebra, in the section entitled The arte of cossike numbers, is
the first to be printed in the English language. Although this work
owes much to the German mathematicians Christoff Rudolff and
Michael Stifel, it does have one well known claim to originality;
the first use of two parallel lines as the sign for equality
(because noe 2 thyngs, can be moare equalle). Recorde's invention
of the equals sign =, together with his adoption of the + sign
(which betokeneth more) and the minus sign - (which betokeneth
less) placed him at the very forefront of European practice. Like
most of Recorde's books, The Whetstone is written in the form of a
dialogue between a learned master and a clever, but rather
precocious, scholar. After being patiently encouraged through the
seconde parte of arithmetic (begun by the scholar in Recorde's
first book, The Grounde of Artes) followed by the extraction of
rootes, the scholar remarks 'I am moche bounde unto you ...
Trusting so to applie my studie, and emploie my knowlege, that it
shall never repente you of your curtesie in this behalfe'. To which
the master, about to start an exposition on the difficult and
strange cossike arte (algebra), replies 'Then marke well my words,
and you shall perceive, that I will use as moche plainesse, as I
maie, in teaching: And therefore will beginne with cossick numbers
first'. Here Recorde is again using terminology that is now
archaic. In his day algebra was called the cossic art, derived from
the Latin cosa, meaning 'thing'. The Whetstone also includes a
lengthy treatise on the arte of surde nombers, that is, on
irrational numbers.
General
Imprint: |
Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
February 2013 |
First published: |
February 2013 |
Authors: |
Robert Recorde
|
Dimensions: |
229 x 152 x 19mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback - Trade
|
Pages: |
362 |
ISBN-13: |
978-1-4825-8930-6 |
Categories: |
Books >
Science & Mathematics >
Mathematics >
Algebra >
General
|
LSN: |
1-4825-8930-3 |
Barcode: |
9781482589306 |
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!