Pappus of Alexandria: Book 4 of the Collection

Download or read book Pappus of Alexandria: Book 4 of the Collection written by Heike Sefrin-Weis and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2010-04-06 with total page 347 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although not so well known today, Book 4 of Pappus’ Collection is one of the most important and influential mathematical texts from antiquity. The mathematical vignettes form a portrait of mathematics during the Hellenistic "Golden Age", illustrating central problems – for example, squaring the circle; doubling the cube; and trisecting an angle – varying solution strategies, and the different mathematical styles within ancient geometry. This volume provides an English translation of Collection 4, in full, for the first time, including: a new edition of the Greek text, based on a fresh transcription from the main manuscript and offering an alternative to Hultsch’s standard edition, notes to facilitate understanding of the steps in the mathematical argument, a commentary highlighting aspects of the work that have so far been neglected, and supporting the reconstruction of a coherent plan and vision within the work, bibliographical references for further study.