Book ID: CBB001214093

Heavenly Mathematics: The Forgotten Art of Spherical Trigonometry (2013)

unapi

Brummelen, Glen Van (Author)


Princeton University Press


Publication Date: 2013
Physical Details: xvi + 192 pp.; ill.

Spherical trigonometry was at the heart of astronomy and ocean-going navigation for two millennia. The discipline was a mainstay of mathematics education for centuries, and it was a standard subject in high schools until the 1950s. Today, however, it is rarely taught. Heavenly Mathematics traces the rich history of this forgotten art, revealing how the cultures of classical Greece, medieval Islam, and the modern West used spherical trigonometry to chart the heavens and the Earth. Glen Van Brummelen explores this exquisite branch of mathematics and its role in ancient astronomy, geography, and cartography; Islamic religious rituals; celestial navigation; polyhedra; stereographic projection; and more. He conveys the sheer beauty of spherical trigonometry, providing readers with a new appreciation for its elegant proofs and often surprising conclusions. Heavenly Mathematics is illustrated throughout with stunning historical images and informative drawings and diagrams that have been used to teach the subject in the past. This unique compendium also features easy-to-use appendixes as well as exercises at the end of each chapter that originally appeared in textbooks from the eighteenth to the early twentieth centuries.

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Reviewed By

Review Craig Fraser (2017) Review of "Heavenly Mathematics: The Forgotten Art of Spherical Trigonometry". Historia Mathematica (pp. 71-73). unapi

Review Ortiz de Landázuri, Carlos (2013) Review of "Heavenly Mathematics: The Forgotten Art of Spherical Trigonometry". Llull: Revista de la Sociedad Española de Historia de las Ciencias y de las Técnicas (p. 488). unapi

Essay Review Hamm, Elizabeth A. (2014) Heavenly Mathematics: The Forgotten Art of Spherical Trigonometry. Aestimatio: Critical Reviews in the History of Science (pp. 127-130). unapi

Review Hogendijk, Jan P. (2014) Review of "Heavenly Mathematics: The Forgotten Art of Spherical Trigonometry". Isis: International Review Devoted to the History of Science and Its Cultural Influences (pp. 207-208). unapi

Essay Review Steele, John M. (2014) A Forgotten Discipline. Metascience: An International Review Journal for the History, Philosophy and Social Studies of Science (pp. 277-279). unapi

Review Villiers, Michael de (2015) Review of "Heavenly Mathematics: The Forgotten Art of Spherical Trigonometry". European Legacy (pp. 560-561). unapi

Citation URI
https://data.isiscb.org/isis/citation/CBB001214093/

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Authors & Contributors
Theodosius
Kjeldsen, Tinne Hoff
Amini, Hasan
Plofker, Kim
Rodríguez, Carlos J.
Reventós, Agustí
Concepts
Mathematics
Spherical geometry
Mathematics education
Trigonometry
Arab/Islamic world, civilization and culture
Astronomy
Time Periods
Medieval
Ancient
19th century
Renaissance
11th century
Qing dynasty (China, 1644-1912)
Places
Greece
Europe
Naples (Italy)
Mediterranean region
United States
Portugal
Institutions
Kerala School of Astronomy and Mathematics (India)
Jesuits (Society of Jesus)
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