0
Your cart

Your cart is empty

Browse All Departments
  • All Departments
Price
  • R2,500 - R5,000 (1)
  • -
Status
Brand

Showing 1 - 1 of 1 matches in All Departments

Redefining Geometrical Exactness - Descartes' Transformation of the Early Modern Concept of Construction (Paperback,... Redefining Geometrical Exactness - Descartes' Transformation of the Early Modern Concept of Construction (Paperback, Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 2001)
Henk J.M. Bos
R3,705 Discovery Miles 37 050 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

In his "Geometrie" of 1637 Descartes achieved a monumental innovation of mathematical techniques by introducing what is now called analytic geometry. Yet the key question of the book was foundational rather than technical: When are geometrical objects known with such clarity and distinctness as befits the exact science of geometry? Classically, the answer was sought in procedures of geometrical construction, in particular by ruler and compass, but the introduction of new algebraic techniques made these procedures insufficient. In this detailed study, spanning essentially the period from the first printed edition of Pappus' "Collection" (1588, in Latin translation) and Descartes' death in 1650, Bos explores the current ideas about construction and geometrical exactness, noting that by the time Descartes entered the field the incursion of algebraic techniques, combined with an increasing uncertainty about the proper means of geometrical problem solving, had produced a certain impasse. He then analyses how Descartes transformed geometry by a redefinition of exactness and by a demarcation of geometry's proper subject and procedures in such a way as to incorporate the use of algebraic methods without destroying the true nature of geometry. Although mathematicians later essentially discarded Descartes' methodological convictions, his influence was profound and pervasive. Bos' insistence on the foundational aspects of the "Geometrie" provides new insights both in the genesis of Descartes' masterpiece and in its significance for the development of the conceptions of mathematical exactness.

Free Delivery
Pinterest Twitter Facebook Google+
You may like...
Improve your sight-reading! Guitar…
Paul Harris Paperback R259 Discovery Miles 2 590
Advanced Planning and Scheduling…
Hans-Otto Gunther, Paul van Beek Hardcover R4,599 Discovery Miles 45 990
Super Thinking - Upgrade Your Reasoning…
Gabriel Weinberg, Lauren McCann Paperback  (1)
R523 R477 Discovery Miles 4 770
Bosch
Virginia Pitts Rembert Hardcover R1,182 Discovery Miles 11 820
The Business Leaders Essential Guide to…
Stephen Dann Hardcover R658 R590 Discovery Miles 5 900
Liyoze Line Nangakithi
William Zulu Paperback R75 R70 Discovery Miles 700
Micah - Proclaiming the Incomparable God
Martyn McGeown Hardcover R732 Discovery Miles 7 320
Medieval Mashup
Charlene McIver Hardcover R588 R537 Discovery Miles 5 370
Xiaomi Smart Camera C200 Spherical IP…
R894 Discovery Miles 8 940
Multiple Choice Questions for…
Paperback R288 Discovery Miles 2 880

 

Partners