Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Waerden, B. L

Titel

Geometry and Algebra in Ancient Civilizations [Elektronische Ressource]

Ort / Verlag

Berlin, Heidelberg : Springer Berlin Heidelberg

Erscheinungsjahr

1983

Link zum Volltext

• Volltext

Link zu anderen Inhalten

• Volltext

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Originally, my intention was to write a "History of Algebra", in two or three volumes. In preparing the first volume I saw that in ancient civilizations geometry and algebra cannot well be separated: more and more sections on ancient geometry were added. Hence the new title of the book: "Geometry and Algebra in Ancient Civilizations". A subsequent volume on the history of modem algebra is in preparation. It will deal mainly with field theory, Galois theory and theory of groups. I want to express my deeply felt gratitude to all those who helped me in shaping this volume. In particular, I want to thank Donald Blackmore Wagner (Berkeley) who put at my disposal his English translation of the most interesting parts of the Chinese "Nine Chapters of the Art of Arithmetic" and of Liu Hui's commentary to this classic, and also Jacques Sesiano (Geneva), who kindly allowed me to use his translation of the recently discovered Arabic text of four books of Diophantos not extant in Greek. Warm thanks are also due to Wyllis Bandler (Colchester, England) who read my English text very carefully and suggested several improvements, and to Annemarie Fellmann (Frankfurt) and Erwin Neuenschwander (Zurich) who helped me in correcting the proof sheets. Miss Fellmann also typed the manuscript and drew the figures. I also want to thank the editorial staff and production department of Springer-Verlag for their nice cooperation