This book presents important works by the Scottish mathematician Colin MacLaurin (1698-1746), translated in English for the first time. It includes three of the mathematician 's less known and often hard to obtain works. A general introduction puts the works in context and gives an outline of MacLaurin's career. Each translation is also accompanied by an introduction and analyzed both in modern terms and from a historical point of view.

James Stirling's "Methodus Differentialis" is one of the early classics of numerical analysis. It contains not only the results and ideas for which Stirling is chiefly remembered, for example, Stirling numbers and Stirling's asymptotic formula for factorials, but also a wealth of material on transformations of series and limiting processes. An impressive collection of examples illustrates the efficacy of Stirling's methods by means of numerical calculations, and some germs of later ideas, notably the Gamma function and asymptotic series, are also to be found. This volume presents a new translation of Stirling's text that features an extensive series of notes in which Stirling's results and calculations are analysed and historical background is provided. Ian Tweddle places the text in its contemporary context, but also relates the material to the interests of practising mathematicians today. Clear and accessible, this book will be of interest to mathematical historians, researchers and numerical analysts.

A new translation makes this classic and important text more generally accessible. The text is placed in its contemporary context, but also related to the interests of practising mathematicians today. This book will be of interest to mathematical historians, researchers, and numerical analysts.

This book presents important works by the Scottish mathematician Colin MacLaurin (1698-1746), translated in English for the first time. It includes three of the mathematician 's less known and often hard to obtain works. A general introduction puts the works in context and gives an outline of MacLaurin's career. Each translation is also accompanied by an introduction and analyzed both in modern terms and from a historical point of view.

Most mathematicians' knowledge of Euclid's lost work on Porisms comes from a very brief and general description by Pappus of Alexandria. While Fermat and others made earlier attempts to explain the Porisms, it is Robert Simson who is generally recognised as the first person to achieve a genuine insight into the true nature of the subject.
In this book, Ian Tweddle, a recognised authority on 18th century Scottish mathematics, presents for the first time a full and accessible translation of Simson's work. Based on Simson's early paper of 1723, the treatise, and various extracts from Simson's notebooks and correspondence, this book provides a fascinating insight into the work of an often-neglected figure. Supplemented by historical and mathematical notes and comments, this book is a valuable addition to the literature for anyone with an interest in mathematical history or geometry.