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  3. The Development of Newtonian Calculus in Britain, 1700–1800
  • Cited by 55
Publisher:
Cambridge University Press
Online publication date:
September 2009
Print publication year:
1989
Online ISBN:
9780511524745
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511524745
Subjects:
Physics and Astronomy, History, History, Philosophy and Foundations of Physics, History of Science: General Interest
Information

Book description

This book examines the development of calculus in Britain during the century following Newton. It is usually maintained that this was a period of decline in British mathematics. However, the author's research has shown that the methods used by researchers of the period yielded considerable success in laying the foundations and investigating the applications of the calculus. Even when 'decline' was at its worst point, in mid-century, the foundations of the reform, which were to change the direction and nature of the mathematics community, were being laid. The book considers the importance of the work of mathematicians such as Isaac Newton, Roger Cotes, Brook Taylor, James Stirling, Abraham de Moivre, Colin Maclaurin, Thomas Bayes, John Landen and Edward Waring. It will be useful to science historians and philosophers studying the period, and to students of British history studying the teaching of mathematics.

Reviews

"...provides a much needed reminder that mathematical ideas are transmitted through teaching and cultural influences as well as through research." Nature

"...a very valuable picture of a generally neglected mathematical community and it provides a better background for understanding the reform of the approach to the calculus in Britain in the 1810s." Mathematical Reviews

"...a clear and well-organized treatment of the development of eighteenth-century English mathematics." Joan Richards, Isis

"On the whole the author's case is well argued and the level of scholarship is high....will be of value to anyone interested in the history and philosophy of mathematics in the eighteenth century." Douglas Jesseph, Philosophy of Science

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