Throughout the book, readers take a journey throughout time and observe how people around the world have understood these patterns of quantity, structure, and dimension around them.The Development of Mathematics Throughout the Centuries: A Brief History in a Cultural Contex provides a brief overview of the history of mathematics in a very straightforward and understandable manner and also addresses major findings that influenced the development of mathematics as a coherent discipline. This book:

Highlights the contributions made by various world cultures including African, Egyptian, Babylonian, Chinese, Indian, Islamic, and pre-Columbian American mathematicsFeatures an approach that is not too rigorous and is ideal for a one-semester course of the history of mathematics.Includes a Resources and Recommended Reading section for further exploration and has been extensively classroom-tested

BRIAN R. EVANS is Department Chair and Associate Professor of Mathematics Education in the School of Education at Pace University in New York. He has authored over twenty-five publications and teaches pedagogical and content courses in mathematics including the history of mathematics. He is also managing editor for the peer reviewedJournal of the National Association for Alternative Certification.

Introduction ix

PART 1 MATHEMATICS IN AFRICA AND THE MEDITERRANEAN REGION 1

1 ANCIENT CIVILIZATION MATHEMATICS: AFRICA AS OUR BIRTHPLACE 3

2 ANCIENT EGYPTIAN MATHEMATICS: THE TIME OF THE PHARAOHS 7

3 BABYLONIAN MATHEMATICS: THE MESOPOTAMIAN CRADLE OF CIVILIZATION 17

4 GREEK MATHEMATICS: THE ARCHAIC PERIOD 25

5 GREEK MATHEMATICS: THE CLASSICAL PERIOD 37

6 GREEK MATHEMATICS: THE HELLENISTIC AND ROMAN/ BYZANTINE PERIODS 45

PART 2 MATHEMATICS IN ASIA AND PRE-COLUMBIAN AMERICA 59

7 CHINESE MATHEMATICS: ANCIENT TIMES TO THE MIDDLE AGES 61

8 INDIAN MATHEMATICS: ANCIENT TIMES TO THE MIDDLE AGES 75

9 ISLAMIC MATHEMATICS: PRESERVATION,INNOVATION, AND CONNECTION BETWEEN EAST AND WEST 87

10 PRE-COLUMBIAN AMERICAN MATHEMATICS: THE OLMEC, MAYA, AND INCA CIVILIZATIONS 97

PART 3 MATHEMATICS IN EUROPE 105

11 EUROPEAN MATHEMATICS: THE MIDDLE AGES AND THE RENAISSANCE 107

12 EUROPEAN MATHEMATICS: THE 17TH CENTURY 123

13 EUROPEAN MATHEMATICS: THE 18TH CENTURY 143

14 EUROPEAN MATHEMATICS: THE 19TH CENTURY 157

PART 4 MATHEMATICS IN THE 20TH AND 21ST CENTURIES 175

15 EUROPEAN, AMERICAN, AND GLOBAL MATHEMATICS: THE 20TH AND 21ST CENTURIES 177

16 EUROPEAN, AMERICAN, AND GLOBAL MATHEMATICS: A SHIFT IN THE 20TH CENTURY 199

17 AMERICAN MATHEMATICS EDUCATION: THE 20TH AND 21ST CENTURIES 207

Resources and Recommended Readings 219

Index 221