Unknown Quantity: A Real and Imaginary History of Algebra
Rauff, James V., Mathematics and Computer Education
UNKNOWN QUANTITY: A REAL AND IMAGINARY HISTORY OF ALGEBRA by John Derbyshire Joseph Henry Press, 2006, 374 pp. ISBN 0-309-09657-X
Unknown Quantity is the story of algebra from its beginnings in mathematical cuneiform texts to modern category theory. Along the way, the reader learns about the mathematics, the cultural and historical settings, and the personalities that made modern abstract algebra. Interspersed with the historical narrative are several "Math Primers" that outline the relevant mathematics.
Derbyshire divides his story into three parts, marking what he considers to be the major developments in algebra. The first part takes us from "the earliest times to the …
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Publication information:
Article title: Unknown Quantity: A Real and Imaginary History of Algebra.
Contributors: Rauff, James V. - Author.
Journal title: Mathematics and Computer Education.
Volume: 41.
Issue: 1
Publication date: Winter 2007.
Page number: 72+.
© Mathematics and Computer Education Winter 2009.
Provided by ProQuest LLC. All Rights Reserved.
This material is protected by copyright and, with the exception of fair use, may not be further copied, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means.
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