Mathematical Masterpieces

Download or read book Mathematical Masterpieces written by Art Knoebel and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2007-10-16 with total page 346 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Intended for juniors and seniors majoring in mathematics, as well as anyone pursuing independent study, this book traces the historical development of four different mathematical concepts by presenting readers with the original sources. Each chapter showcases a masterpiece of mathematical achievement, anchored to a sequence of selected primary sources. The authors examine the interplay between the discrete and continuous, with a focus on sums of powers. They then delineate the development of algorithms by Newton, Simpson and Smale. Next they explore our modern understanding of curvature, and finally they look at the properties of prime numbers. The book includes exercises, numerous photographs, and an annotated bibliography.