Book Details

Conflicts Between Generalization, Rigor, and Intuition

Publication year: 2005

ISBN: 978-0-387-28273-2

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Conflicts Between Generalization, Rigor, and Intuition undertakes a historical analysis of the development of two mathematical concepts -negative numbers and infinitely small quantities, mainly in France and Germany, but also in Britain, and the different paths taken there.This book not only discusses the history of the two concepts, but it also introduces a wealth of new knowledge and insights regarding their interrelation as necessary foundations for the emergence of the 19th century concept of analysis. The historical investigation unravels several processes underlying and motivating conceptual change: generalization (in particular, algebraization as an agent for generalizing) and a continued effort of intuitive accessibility which often conflicted with likewise desired rigor. The study focuses on the 18th and the 19th centuries.The book provides a productive unity to a large number of historical sources.


Subject: Mathematics and Statistics, Finite, History of Mathematics, algebra, calculus, geometry, mathematics, number concept