The Development of Newtonian Calculus in Britain, 1700-1800

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.

Niccolo Guicciardini holds degrees in physics and philosophy awarded by the Universita degli Studi di Milano. This book is the published version of his Ph.D. thesis in the history of mathematics, written under the supervision of Ivor Grattan-Guinness at Middlesex Polytechnic. Niccolo Guicciardini is Co-Editor in Chief of Historia Mathematica and is a recipient of the Sarton Medal for 2011-2012, awarded by the University of Ghent, Belgium.

"...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