The Transformation of Mathematics in the Early Mediterranean World: From Problems to Equations

Author/Contributor(s):	Netz, Reviel
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Date:	09/10/2007
Binding:	Paperback
Condition:	NEW

The transformation of mathematics from its ancient Greek practice to its development in the medieval Arab-speaking world is approached by focusing on a single problem proposed by Archimedes and the many solutions offered. From a practice of mathematics based on the localized solution (originating in the polemical practices of early Greek science), we see a transition to a practice of mathematics based on the systematic approach (grounded in the deuteronomic practices of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages). A radically new interpretation is accordingly offered of the historical trajectory of pre-modern mathematics.