Heavenly Mathematics
Subtitle: The Forgotten Art of Spherical Trigonometry
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Published: Apr 04, 2017
Language: eng
Format: paperback
Number of pages: 216
ISBN-13: 9780691175997
Description: Heavenly Mathematics traces the rich history of spherical trigonometry, revealing how the cultures of classical Greece, medieval Islam, and the modern West used this forgotten art to chart the heavens and the Earth. Once at the heart of astronomy and ocean-going navigation for two millennia, the discipline was also a mainstay of mathematics education for centuries and taught widely until the 1950s. 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 of its elegant proofs and often surprising conclusions. Heavenly Mathematics is illustrated throughout with stunning historical images and informative drawings and diagrams. This unique compendium also features easy-to-use appendixes as well as exercises that originally appeared in textbooks from the eighteenth to the early twentieth centuries.
Notes: Source title: Heavenly Mathematics: The Forgotten Art of Spherical Trigonometry
Table of contents: title: Preface; title: Heavenly Mathematics
label: 1; title: Exploring the Sphere
label: 2; title: The Ancient Approach
label: 3; title: The Medieval Approach
label: 4; title: The Modern Approach: Right-Angled Triangles
label: 5; title: The Modern Approach: Oblique Triangles
label: 5; title: Area, Angles, and Polyhedra
label: 7; title: Stereographic Projection
label: 8; title: Navigating by the Stars
label: 9; title: Ptolemy's Determination of the Sun's Position
label: Appendix A.; title: Textbooks
label: Appendix B.; title: Further Reading
label: Appendix C.; title: Index