COURSE NUMBER AND TITLE: MATH 4410 History of Mathematics
CREDIT HOURS: 3
CATALOG DESCRIPTION: A study of the nature and historical origin of mathematics including analysis of the concepts of algebra, trigonometry, calculus and solution of problems pointed toward appreciation of early mathematical developments.
PREREQUISITE(S): MATH 2012 or MATH 2030
SUGGESTED TEXT(S): A History of Mathematics, Brief Edition by Victor J. Katz
COURSE OUTLINE:
Ancient mathematics: Topics include the mathematics of Egypt, Mesopotamia, China, and India.
Greek mathematics: Topics include the mathematics of Euclid (The Elements), Archimedes, and Apollonius.
Islamic mathematics: Topics include the mathematics of al-Khwarizmi and Omar Khayyam. Also, the House of Wisdom is studied.
Renaissance mathematics: Topics include the mathematics of Leonardo of Pisa, Cardano, Vičte, Copernicus, and Galileo.
Early modern mathematics: Topics include the mathematics of Fermat, Descartes, and Pascal.
The rise of calculus (first steps): Topics include the mathematics relevant to the development of calculus of Newton, Leibniz, the Bernoulli family, Euler, and others.