- English
- PDF
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF
About this book
In this follow-up to his popular Science Secrets, Alberto A. Martinez discusses various popular myths from the history of mathematics: that Pythagoras proved the hypotenuse theorem, that Archimedes figured out how to test the purity of a gold crown while he was in a bathtub, that the Golden Ratio is in nature and ancient architecture, that the young Galois created group theory the night before the pistol duel that killed him, and more. Some stories are partly true, others are entirely false, but all show the power of invention in history. Pythagoras emerges as a symbol of the urge to conjecture and "fill in the gaps" of history. He has been credited with fundamental discoveries in mathematics and the sciences, yet there is nearly no evidence that he really contributed anything to such fields at all. This book asks: how does history change when we subtract the many small exaggerations and interpolations that writers have added for over two thousand years?
The Cult of Pythagoras is also about invention in a positive sense. Most people view mathematical breakthroughs as "discoveries" rather than invention or creativity, believing that mathematics describes a realm of eternal ideas. But mathematicians have disagreed about what is possible and impossible, about what counts as a proof, and even about the results of certain operations. Was there ever invention in the history of concepts such as zero, negative numbers, imaginary numbers, quaternions, infinity, and infinitesimals?
Martinez inspects a wealth of primary sources, in several languages, over a span of many centuries. By exploring disagreements and ambiguities in the history of the elements of mathematics, The Cult of Pythagoras dispels myths that obscure the actual origins of mathematical concepts. Martinez argues that an accurate history that analyzes myths reveals neglected aspects of mathematics that can encourage creativity in students and mathematicians.
The Cult of Pythagoras is also about invention in a positive sense. Most people view mathematical breakthroughs as "discoveries" rather than invention or creativity, believing that mathematics describes a realm of eternal ideas. But mathematicians have disagreed about what is possible and impossible, about what counts as a proof, and even about the results of certain operations. Was there ever invention in the history of concepts such as zero, negative numbers, imaginary numbers, quaternions, infinity, and infinitesimals?
Martinez inspects a wealth of primary sources, in several languages, over a span of many centuries. By exploring disagreements and ambiguities in the history of the elements of mathematics, The Cult of Pythagoras dispels myths that obscure the actual origins of mathematical concepts. Martinez argues that an accurate history that analyzes myths reveals neglected aspects of mathematics that can encourage creativity in students and mathematicians.
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Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Yes, you can access The Cult of Pythagoras by Alberto A. Martinez in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Mathematics & History & Philosophy of Mathematics. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.
Information
Table of contents
- Contents
- List of Myths and Apparent Myths
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- 1. Triangle Sacrifice to the Gods
- 2. An Irrational Murder at Sea
- 3. Ugly Old Socrates on Eternal Truth
- 4. The Death of Archimedes
- 5. Gauss, Galois, and the Golden Ratio
- 6. From Nothing to Infinity
- 7. Euler’s Imaginary Mistakes
- 8. The Four of Pythagoras
- 9. The War over the Infinitely Small
- 10. Impossible Triangles
- 11. Inventing Mathematics?
- 12. The Cult of Pythagoras
- Notes
- Illustration Sources and Credits
- Index