Mathematical Masterpieces: Further Chronicles by the Explorers(Undergraduate Texts in Mathematics)

In introducing his essays on the study and understanding of nature and e- lution, biologist Stephen J. Gould writes: [W]e acquire a surprising source of rich and apparently limitless novelty from the primary documents of great thinkers throughout our history. But why should any nuggets, or even ?akes, be left for int- lectual miners in such terrain? Hasn’t the Origin of Species been read untold millions of times? Hasn’t every paragraph been subjected to overt scholarly scrutiny and exegesis? Letmeshareasecretrootedingeneralhumanfoibles. . . . Veryfew people, including authors willing to commit to paper, ever really read primary sources—certainly not in necessary depth and completion, and often not at all. . . . I can attest that all major documents of science remain cho- full of distinctive and illuminating novelty, if only people will study them—in full and in the original editions. Why would anyone not yearn to read these works; not hunger for the opportunity? [99, p. 6f] It is in the spirit of Gould’s insights on an approach to science based on p- mary texts that we o?er the present book of annotated mathematical sources, from which our undergraduate students have been learning for more than a decade. Although teaching and learning with primary historical sources require a commitment of study, the investment yields the rewards of a deeper understanding of the subject, an appreciation of its details, and a glimpse into the direction research has taken. Our students read sequences of primary sources.

Table of Contents:
The Bridge Between Continuous and Discrete.- Solving Equations Numerically: Finding Our Roots.- Curvature and the Notion of Space.- Patterns in Prime Numbers: The Quadratic Reciprocity Law.

Review :
From the reviews: "This book is closely related to courses of mathematics held for students at New Mexico State University ! . An important aspect of the book is the numerous exercises, which should help students to gain a deeper insight into the presented material. Numerous references and well-organized indices make the book easy to use. It can be recommended for university libraries and students with an interest in the history of mathematics presented from a modern point of view." (EMS Newsletter, September, 2008) "This book consists of four chapters, each of which presents a 'sequence of selected primary sources' leading up to a 'masterpiece of mathematical achievement'. ! Each chapter contains ! lots of historical comments sketching the further development of the topic. There are also a lot of exercises. ! This is a well written and entertaining book that can (and should) be used in seminars or reading courses." (Franz Lemmermeyer, Zentralblatt MATH, Vol. 1140, 2008)