abstracts - connecting repositories · recountings. conversations with mit mathematicians,...

Available online at www.sciencedirect.com

Historia Mathematica 37 (2010) 317–338www.elsevier.com/locate/yhmat

Abstracts

Duncan J. Melville, Editor

Laura Martini and Kim Plofker, Assistant Editors

Available online 9 February 2010

0315-08

doi:10.1

The purpose of this department is to give sufficient information about the subject matterof each publication to enable users to decide whether to read it. It is our intention tocover all books, articles, and other materials in the field.

Books for abstracting and eventual review should be sent to this department. Materialsshould be sent to Duncan J. Melville, Department of Mathematics, Computer Scienceand Statistics, St. Lawrence University, Canton, NY 13617, U.S.A. (e-mail: [email protected]).

Readers are invited to send reprints, autoabstracts, corrections, additions, andnotices of publications that have been overlooked. Be sure to include complete biblio-graphic information, as well as transliteration and translation for non-European lan-guages. We need volunteers willing to cover one or more journals for this department.

In order to facilitate reference and indexing, entries are given abstract numberswhich appear at the end following the symbol #. A triple numbering system is used:the first number indicates the volume, the second the issue number, and the third thesequential number within that issue. For example, the abstracts for Volume 30, Number1, are numbered: 30.1.1, 30.1.2, 30.1.3, etc.

For reviews and abstracts published in Volumes 1 through 13 there is an author index

in Volume 13, Number 4, and a subject index in Volume 14, Number 1. An online indexof all abstracts that have appeared in Historia Mathematica since 1974 is now availableat http://historiamathematicaabstracts.questu.ca/.

The initials in parentheses at the end of an entry indicate the abstractor. In this issuethere are abstracts by Francine Abeles (Union, NJ), Sloan Evans Despeaux (Cullowhee,NC), Calvin Jongsma (Sioux Center, IA), Deborah Kent (Hillsdale, MI), Laura Mar-tini, Kim Plofker, and Duncan J. Melville.

General

Bernhard, Peter; and Peckhaus, Volker, eds. Methodisches Denken im Kontext. Fest-schrift fur Christian Thiel [Methodical Thought in Context. Festschrift for Christian Thiel],Paderborn: mentis Verlag, 2008, 471 pp. A Festschrift for the philosopher Christian Thiel(1937– ). The more mathematical among the 30 articles in the volume are listed orabstracted separately as: #37.2.23; #37.2.120; #37.2.135. (KP) #37.2.1

60/$ - see front matter � 2010 Published by Elsevier Inc.

016/j.hm.2010.01.001

http://historiamathematicaabstracts.questu.ca/

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.hm.2010.01.001

318 Abstracts / Historia Mathematica 37 (2010) 317–338

Boniface, Jacqueline. La definition dans les axiomatiques euclidienne et hilbertienne[Definition in the axiom systems of Euclid and Hilbert], in #37.2.12, pp. 1–27. #37.2.2

Bonnay, Denis. Definir la logique, une question de simplicite [Defining logic: A questionof simplicity], in #37.2.12, pp. 177–203. #37.2.3

Burkard, Rainer; Geroldinger, Alfred; Haase, Gundolf; Kunisch, Karl; Peichl, Gunther;Ring, Wolfgang; Stadlober, Ernst; Steinbach, Olaf; Wallner, Johannes; and Woess,Wolfgang. Mathematik in Graz [Mathematics in Graz]. Internationale MathematischeNachrichten, Wien 211 (2009), 43–62. This article presents the Mathematical Institutesand the research activities of the two universities in Graz, the Karl-Franzens-Universitatand the Technische Universitat on the occasion of the joint mathematical meeting ofOMG and DMV in Graz in 2009. (LM) #37.2.4

Ceccarelli, Marco, ed. Distinguished Figures in Mechanism and Machine Science—TheirContributions and Legacies, Part 1 (History of Mechanism and Machine Science, 1),Dordrecht: Springer, 2007, x+393 pp. This series describes historical developments inmechanism and machine science from the earliest times up to recent times in addition togiving re-interpretations and re-formulations in modern terminology. This volume presentsbiographical notes of notable scholars. See the review by Hellmuth Stachel in MathematicalReviews 2391782 (2009m:70002). (LM) #37.2.5

D’Ambrosio, Ubiratan. A concise view of the history of mathematics in Latin America.Gan: ita Bharat�ı 28 (1–2) (2006), 111–128. After briefly referring to mathematical knowledgein pre-Columbian cultures in the Americas, the article describes the introduction and devel-opment of European mathematics in Latin America from the Spanish and Portuguese con-quests up to the mid-twentieth century. (KP) #37.2.6

Descles, Jean-Pierre. De la definition chez Pascal aux definitions en logique combina-toire [From definition in Pascal to definitions in combinatory logic], in #37.2.12, pp. 73–113. #37.2.7

Drago, Antonino. The square of opposition and the four fundamental choices. LogicaUniversalis 2 (1) (2008), 127–141. Discusses the “square of opposition” in Aristotelian logiccomposed of four statements about subjects and predicates (every S is P, no S is P, some Sis P, some S is not P), and associates a generalized interpretation of it with the origin anddevelopment of modern scientific culture. (KP) #37.2.8

Fraser, Craig G. Sufficient conditions, fields and the calculus of variations. HistoriaMathematica 36 (4) (2009), 420–427. An essay review of Thiele, Rudiger. Von der Bernoul-lischen Brachistochrone zum Kalibrator-Konzept. Ein historischer Abrißzur Entstehung derFeldtheorie in der Variationsrechnung (hinreichende Bedingungen in der Variationsrechnung)[From Bernoulli’s Brachistochrone to the Concept of Calibration. A Historical Outline of theRise of Field Theory in the Calculus of Variations (Sufficient Conditions in VariationalCalculus)] (De Diversis Artibus 80), Turnhout: Brepols Publishers, 2007, 828 pp. Thielelocates a crucial moment in the development of the field theoretic approach to the calculusof variations to Caratheodory’s belief in the relationship of the work in his dissertation tosome of Bernoulli’s results. Fraser probes this claim as well as evaluating the status of Ber-noulli’s results at the time Caratheodory was writing. (DJM) #37.2.9

Geroldinger, Alfred. See #37.2.4.

Abstracts / Historia Mathematica 37 (2010) 317–338 319

Grabner, Peter; and Halter-Koch, Franz. Gemeinsame Mathematikstudien an denGrazer Universitaten (NAWI Graz) [Joint mathematics studies at the Graz universities(NAWI Graz)]. Internationale Mathematische Nachrichten, Wien 211 (2009), 39–41. Thisarticle presents a brief report of the joint activities of the Karl-Franzens-Universitat andthe Technischen Universitat, both in Graz, in the field of social studies. (LM) #37.2.10

Haase, Gundolf. See #37.2.4.

Halter-Koch, Franz. See #37.2.10.

Hollings, Christopher. An Analysis of Nonpositional Numeral Systems. The MathematicalIntelligencer 31 (2) (2009), 15–23. Using Sumerian, Minoan, Greek, and Roman examples ofnumeral systems, the author constructs a definition of a nonpositional numeral system (NSS)from a formal language theoretic viewpoint. He then defines additional features of NSSs andapplies them to his original examples to obtain more finely grained classifications for thesesystems. (FA) #37.2.11

Joray, Pierre; and Mieville, Denis, eds. Definition: Roles et fonctions en logique et enmathematiques [The Role and Function of Definition in Logic and Mathematics] (Travauxde Logique [Works on Logic] 19), Neuchatel: Centre de Recherches Semiologiques, Univer-site de Neuchatel, 2008, viii+239 pp. This volume is a collection of papers from a collo-quium held at the Universite de Neuchatel, October 19–20, 2007. The papers are listedor abstracted separately as: #37.2.2; #37.2.3; #37.2.7; #37.2.13; #37.2.15; #37.2.19;#37.2.72; and #37.2.115. (DJM) #37.2.12

Joray, Pierre. Definitions explicites et abstraction [Explicit definitions and abstraction],in #37.2.12, pp. 135–157. #37.2.13

Kunisch, Karl. See #37.2.4.

Maieru, Luigi. Scienza, geometria, geometrie. Un percorso storico-didattico [Science,Geometry, Geometries. A Historical Didactical Guide], Soveria Mannelli: Rubbettino Edito-re, 2008, 336 pp. Intended as a source for students of science and philosophy to gain anoverall understanding of the concept of ‘science’. To this end, the author provides an his-tory of geometry, especially the parallel postulate, from Greek geometry, through Islamicgeometry to the 19th century. See the review by L. Borzacchini in Zentralblatt MATH1172.01003. (DJM) #37.2.14

Mieville, Denis. See #37.2.12.

Mieville, Denis. D’une definition a l’autre [From one definition to another], in #37.2.12,pp. 159–175. #37.2.15

Peckhaus, Volker. See #37.2.1.

Peichl, Gunther. See #37.2.4.

Ring, Wolfgang. See #37.2.4.

Segel, Joel, ed. Recountings. Conversations with MIT Mathematicians, Wellesley, MA:A K Peters, 2009, xxi+441 pp. An oral history of interviews recounting the careers of thir-teen mathematicians at MIT during the 1950s and 1960s. Aimed at a general audience, theinterviews focus on their interests and attraction to mathematics, rather than giving atechnical accounting of their careers. The interviewees are: Zipporah (Fagi) Levinson, wifeof the late Norman Levinson; Isadore M. Singer; Arthur P. Mattuck; Hartley Rogers;


Gilbert Strang; Kenneth M. Hoffman; Alar Toomre; Steven L. Kleiman; Harvey P.Greenspan; Bertram Kostant; Michael Artin; Daniel J. Kleitman; and Sigurdur Helgason.See the review by F. J. Papp in Zentralblatt MATH 1168.01011. (DJM) #37.2.16

Stadlober, Ernst. See #37.2.4.

Stedall, Jacqueline. Mathematics Emerging: A Sourcebook 1540–1900, Oxford: OxfordUniversity Press, 2008, xxi+653 pp. Besides a preliminary chapter on Mesopotamian,Greek and Islamic sources, the author restricts her selection of sources to the sixteenththrough nineteenth centuries. Unlike other sourcebooks, Stedall includes copies of the ori-ginal sources (or sometimes their early publications), as well as translations and commen-tary. Stedall has included a wide variety of sources, some well-known, and some moredifficult to obtain, from Stevin and Napier to Hilbert and Cantor. See the review by VictorJ. Katz in Historia Mathematica 36 (4) (2009), 433–436. (DJM) #37.2.17

Steinbach, Olaf. See #37.2.4.

Suzuki, Jeff. Mathematics in Historical Context, Washington, DC: The MathematicalAssociation of America, 2009, x+409 pp. This book provides an overview of the develop-ment of mathematics from prehistory to the Second World War. See the review by ThomasSonar in Zentralblatt MATH 1173.01002. (LM) #37.2.18

Vernant, Denis. Definition stratifiee de la veridicite [Stratified definition of veracity], in#37.2.12, pp. 205–237. #37.2.19

Wallner, Johannes. See #37.2.4.

Woess, Wolfgang. See #37.2.4.

Mesopotamia

Brack-Bernsen, Lis; and Hunger, Hermann. BM 42282+42294 and the goal-yearmethod. SCIAMVS 9 (2008), 3–23. Contains text from a little known intermediate periodin Babylonian astronomy, with English translation and analysis. The text gives rules forpredicting temporal distances between moonrise/moonset and sunrise/sunset around fulland new moon from earlier known values. These rules agree with ones previously derivedtheoretically by the first author. See the review by Jens Høyrup in Zentralblatt MATH1168.01002. (CJ) #37.2.20

Hunger, Hermann. See #37.2.20.

Proust, Christine. Quantifier et calculer: usages des nombres a Nippur [Quantifying andcalculating: Usage of numbers in Nippur]. Revue d’Histoire des Mathematiques 14 (2)(2008), 143–209. A discussion of the manner that numbers and measures were recordedon a recently analyzed collection of 800 mathematical tablets from Nippur dating fromthe Old Babylonian period. See the review by Jens Høyrup in Zentralblatt MATH1173.01003 (SED/KP) #37.2.21

Yuste, Piedad. Ecuaciones cuadraticas y procedimientos algorıtmicos: Diofanto y las mate-maticas en Mesopotamia [Quadratic equations and algorithmic procedures. Diophantus andMesopotamian mathematics]. Theoria (San Sebastian) (2) 23 (62) (2008), 219–244. ComparesOld-Babylonian algorithms for solving quadratic equations with those of Diophantus,


remarking that the former “appealed to the composition of diagrams, while Diophantusapplied an abstract algorithm that he was not able to generalize.” (KP) #37.2.22

See also #37.2.11.

India

Lorenz, Kuno. Logisches Denken im alten Indien [Logical thinking in Old India], in #37.2.1,pp. 31–42. See the review by H. Guggenheimer in Zentralblatt MATH 1161.01005, whichsummarizes the article as follows: “A quick survey of what is known today of the logical sys-tems developed both by Vedic as also by heterodox (Buddhist, Jainist, and Lokayata) philos-ophers in pre-Muslim India.” (KP) #37.2.23

Pandey, G.S. Algebraic models in Paitamaha Siddhanta. Gan: ita Bharat�ı 29 (1–2) (2007),117–133. Studies the algebraic models employed in an ancient Sanskrit astronomical textcalled the Paitamaha-siddhanta, which is partially preserved with an epoch date of Saka 2or 80 CE in the sixth-century Panca-siddhantika of Varahamihira (not to be confused withthe astronomical Paitamaha-siddhanta partially preserved in the Vis: n: u-dharmottara-puran: a).The author situates these models in a tradition of algebraic development originating with ear-lier astronomical works such as the Veda _nga-jyotis: a of Lagadha, which he holds to have beencomposed in the mid-second millennium BCE. (KP) #37.2.24

Plofker, Kim. Mathematics in India, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2009,xii+357 pp. A detailed and up-to-date study of the sources, contexts, uses and contentsof Indian mathematics, from the earliest Vedic sources through to the modern period.See the review by Jim Tattersall in MAA Reviews http://www.maa.org/maareviews/711.html. (DJM) #37.2.25

See also #37.2.40; and #37.2.131.

Islamic/Islamicate

Lorch, Richard. See #37.2.27.

Oaks, Jeffrey A. Polynomials and equations in Arabic algebra. Archive for History ofExact Sciences 63 (2) (2009), 169–203. Explains Arabic method of expressing algebraicproblems and shows how to translate such problems into formulas based on later Arabicabbreviations of algebraic expressions instead of post-Cartesian notation. See the reviewby H. Guggenheimer in Zentralblatt MATH 1168.01004. (CJ) #37.2.26

Thabit ibn Qurra. On the Sector-Figure and Related Texts. Edited with translation andcommentary by Richard Lorch. (Algorismus 67), Augsburg: ERV Dr. Erwin RaunerVerlag, 2008, vii+471 pp. Unchanged reprint of the 2001 edition, abstracted in#31.1.177. (DJM) #37.2.27

Other Non-Western

De Young, Gregg. Diagrams in ancient Egyptian geometry: Survey and assessment.Historia Mathematica 36 (4) (2009), 321–373. Surveys the entire corpus of Egyptian

http://www.maa.org/maareviews/711.html



mathematical diagrams, from both hieratic and demotic sources, and provides a completeset of diagrams with detailed commentary on the editorial difficulties involved. The authoralso compares the Egyptian diagrams with those in the Mesopotamian and Sanskrit tradi-tions. (DJM) #37.2.28

Gerdes, Paulus. Mathematical research inspired by African cultural practices: The exampleof mirror curves, Lunda-designs and related concepts, in Sica, Giandomenico, ed., WhatMathematics From Africa? (Advanced Studies in Mathematics and Logic 2) (Monza: Polimetri-ca, 2005), pp. 83–100. This chapter presents mathematics of Lunda-designs in the language ofmatrices to show how African cultural practices influence mathematical research. See the reviewby Witold Wiezsław in Zentralblatt MATH 1172.01300. (DK) #37.2.29

See also #37.2.6.

Antiquity

Acerbi, Fabio. The meaning of pkarlasi,om in Diophantus’ Arithmetica. Archive forHistory of Exact Sciences 63 (1) (2009), 5–31. This paper focuses on Diophantus’ interpre-tation of pkarlasijom. Misinterpretation of this word has supported the geometric algebrahypothesis, but Acerbi argues that the pkarlasi,om clause is a later addition that has nobearing on the above debate. See the review by L. Borzacchini in Mathematical Reviews1170.01005. (DK) #37.2.30

Begin-Drolet, Andre. See #37.2.32.

Carman, Christian C. Rounding numbers: Ptolemy’s calculation of the Earth-Sun dis-tance. Archive for History of Exact Sciences 63 (2) (2009), 205–242. The author gives areconstruction of how Ptolemy could have altered the data to justify his theoretical predic-tions for the Earth-Sun distance in the Almagest and the Planetary Hypotheses and arguesthat the reconstruction explains various other rounding errors and inconsistencies in Ptol-emy. See the review by Victor V. Pambuccian in Zentralblatt MATH 1166.01006.(DJM) #37.2.31

Elishakoff, Isaac; and Begin-Drolet, Andre. Talmudic bankruptcy problem: Special andgeneral solutions. Scientiae Mathematicae Japonicae 69 (3) (2009), 387–403. Mathematicaltreatment of a problem posed in the Mishnah. See the review by H. Guggenheimer inMathematical Reviews 1172.01004. (DK) #37.2.32

Fried, Michael N. See #37.2.34.

Lemmermeyer, Franz. Zur Zahlentheorie der Griechen. II. Gaussche Lemmas undRieszsche Ringe [Number theory of the Greeks. II. Gauss lemmas and Riesz rings].Mathematische Semesterberichte 56 (1) (2009), 39–51. Continuing the study in Part I(Mathematical Reviews 2438401 (2009f:01002)), the author says, “we start from the notionof incommensurability and shed light on the proofs of irrationality of algebraic numbers. Indoing so we encounter the Gauss lemma, integral closure and Dedekind’s Prague theoremand finally end up at the [Euclidean] four-number theorem.” (KP) #37.2.33

Unguru, Sabetai; and Fried, Michael N. Apollonius, Davidoff, Rorty, and Zeuthen:from A to Z, or, what else is there? Sudhoffs Archiv. Zeitschrift fur Wissenschaftsgeschichte91 (1) (2007), 1–19. Argues for a new reading respecting the form as well as the abstract


content of classical mathematical texts, with the Conics of Apollonius as a case study illus-trating problems with mathematical modernist and post-modernist interpretations.(KP) #37.2.34

See also #37.2.8; #37.2.11; and #37.2.22.

Middle ages

Heeffer, Albrecht. Text production, reproduction and appropriation within the abb-aco tradition: A case study. SCIAMVS 9 (2008), 211–256. The author provides a criticaledition and English translation of a collection of copies of a single treatise from around1437, arguing that the way texts were copied and organized led to the similarities instyle and substance of abbaco texts over a period of almost three centuries. Againstthe continuity, the author also points out that the text under consideration is the firstin the abbaco tradition to make an explicit distinction between rhetorical and symbolicforms of problem solving. See the review by W. Kaunzner in Zentralblatt MATH1168.01005. (DJM) #37.2.35

Rommevaux, Sabine. La similitude des equimultiples dans la definition de la proportionnon continue de l’edition des Elements d’Euclide par Campanus: une difficulte dans lareception de la theorie des proportions au Moyen Age [The “similitude” of equimultiplesin the definition of noncontinuous proportion in Campanus’ edition of Euclid’s Elements:An obstacle in the reception of the theory of proportions in the Middle Ages]. Revue d’His-toire des Mathematiques 13 (2) (2007), 301–322. The author uses H.L.L. Busar’s edition ofCampanus’ Elements as an example of the difficulties in editing ancient texts appearing indifferent manuscripts. (SED) #37.2.36

Spiesser, Maryvonne. L’arithmetique pratique en France au seuil de la Renaissance: for-mes et acteurs d’un enseignement [Arithmetical practice in France at the dawn of theRenaissance: Forms and actors in education]. LLULL 31 (67) (2008), 41–60. The principalfocus of this paper is the commercial mathematics texts in France of the early 14th centuryand how teaching to meet the needs of a commercial, urban class reflected the Italian abb-aco tradition. See the review by Youcef Guergour in Zentralblatt MATH 1173.01301.(DJM) #37.2.37

Renaissance

Beery, Janet. Formulating figurate numbers. British Society for the History of Mathe-matics Bulletin 24 (2) (2009), 78–91. This article draws on sources from Cardano throughHarriot, Briggs, and Faulhaber to consider the ways to calculate figurate numbers that playa role as binomial coefficients. See the review by Jens Høyrup in Mathematical Reviews1173.01004. (DK) #37.2.38

Bevilacqua, Marco Giorgio. The conception of ramparts in the sixteenth century: Archi-tecture, “mathematics”, and urban design. Nexus Network Journal 9 (2) (2007), 249–261.This paper explores the influence of gunpowder on fortress construction and urban designin the 16th century. It includes examples, descriptions, pictures, and a city planning casestudy. See the review by Franka Miriam Bruckler in Mathematical Reviews 1172.01303.(DK) #37.2.39


Heeffer, Albrecht. The tacit appropriation of Hindu algebra in Renaissance practicalarithmetic. Gan: ita Bharat�ı 29 (1–2) (2007), 1–60. Compares the structure and content ofRenaissance arithmetic works with earlier Indian counterparts, and concludes from theirsimilarities that the latter influenced the former through “subscientific” mathematical prac-tices embodied in stories, riddles, computational mnemonics, and so forth rather thanthrough formal textual transmission. (KP) #37.2.40

Loget, Franc�ois. La Ramee critique d’Euclide. Sur le Prooemium Mathematicum (1567)[Ramus, critic of Euclid in Prooemium Mathematicum (1567)]. Archives Internationalesd’Histoire des Sciences 54 (153) (2004), 3–28. This article aims to present Ramus’s viewsof mathematics in context. Loget uses Ramus as an example of the limitations with whichthe French Humanists approached mathematics. See the review by Jens Høyrup in Math-ematical Reviews 1169.01007. (DK) #37.2.41

Weitzel, Hans. Zum Polyeder auf A. Durers Stich Melencolia I—ein NurnbergerSkizzenblatt mit Darstellungen archimedischer Korper [On polyhedra in A. Durer’sengraving Melancholia I—A Nuremberg sketch with presentations of Archimedean solids].Sudhoffs Archiv. Zeitschrift fur Wissenschaftsgeschichte 91 (2) (2007), 129–173. In the Nurn-berg-Codex of Durer’s manuscripts is a page with sketches of various archimedean solids,including one which the author believes serves as a preliminary sketch for the truncatedrhombohedron in the engraving Melancholia I. (DJM) #37.2.42

17th century

Araujo Silva, Mateus. L’imagination dans la Geometrie de Descartes: retour sur unequestion ouverte [Imagination in Descartes’s Geometry: Reexamination of an open ques-tion], in #37.2.56, pp. 69–128. The open question being the continued role of imaginationin geometry after its arithmetization. See the review by H. Guggenheimer in ZentralblattMATH 1162.01003. (DJM) #37.2.43

Bueno, Otavio. See #37.2.45.

de Jesus, Brito. The practice of “normal” mathematics in the XVIIth century: The case ofmathematical geography of Varenius. LLULL 31 (67) (2008), 41–60. This article examines thebiography of geographer Berhnard Varenius for insight into the process of the establishmentof geography as a modern science. See the review by Pietro De Poi in Mathematical Reviews1172.01012. (DK) #37.2.44

De Rosa, Raffaella; and Bueno, Otavio. Descartes on mathematical essences, inPreyer, Gerhard, et al., eds., Philosophy of Mathematics. Set Theory, Measuring Theo-ries, and Nominalism (LOGOS. Studien zur Logik, Sprachphilosophie und Metaphysik13) (Frankfurt: Ontos Verlag, 2008), pp. 164–181. The authors argue that apparent con-tradictions between Descartes’ Platonic views of mathematical objects, and conceptualistviews can be reconciled in light of a divinely-originated “innate disposition” for themind to form particular ideas. See the review by Jens Høyrup in Zentralblatt MATH1169.01008. (DJM) #37.2.45

Descotes, Dominique. See #37.2.56; and #37.2.57.

Descotes, Dominique. Constructions du triangle arithmetique de Pascal [Pascal’s con-structions of arithmetical triangles], in #37.2.56, pp. 239–280. It appears that Pascal was


unaware of earlier versions of the arithmetical triangle in Chinese and Arabic mathematics,and probably learned of it from Pierre Herigone. However, it was Pascal who saw thepower and utility of the triangle in binomial expressions and probability, as well as inthe theory of figurate numbers. See the review by William R. Shea in Mathematical Reviews2449438 (2009h:01008). (DJM) #37.2.46

Gagneux, Bruno. La regle des signes de Descartes: le long cheminement d’une impreci-sion [The rule of signs in Descartes: The long development of an imprecision], in #37.2.56,pp. 129–165. The author is concerned with two aspects of Descartes’ “rule of signs” onroots of polynomials. First, tracing the question of priority in statement, and secondly,and more importantly, following the trail forward in search of a rigorous proof in full gen-erality. The search ends with Gauss. See the review by Douglas M. Jesseph in MathematicalReviews 2449435 (2009k:01006). (DJM) #37.2.47

Maieru, Luigi. Le sezioni coniche nel Seicento [The Conic Sections in the 17th Century],Soveria Mannelli: Rubbettino Editore, 2009, 405 pp. This book presents an account of thetheory of conic sections in the 17th century by comparing the works of the authors whofollowed Apollonius’ classical approach and the authors who looked for new methods.See the review by L. Borzacchini in Zentralblatt MATH 1171.01003. (LM) #37.2.48

Merker, Claude. La pensee des ordres dans les traites sur la roulette de Pascal [Thenotion of order in Pascal’s treatises on the cycloid], in #37.2.56, pp. 199–238. The authoranalyzes the structure and argument of Pascal’s seven articles on the cycloid, published in1658. See the review by Eberhard Knobloch in Mathematical Reviews 2449437(2009i:01006). (DJM) #37.2.49

Newton, Isaac. The Correspondence of Isaac Newton. Volume I: 1661–1675. Reprint of the1959 hardback edition. Edited by H. W. Turnbull. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,2008, xxxvii+468 pp. While somewhat dated, this (and the other volumes in the series) was avalued publication when it was produced some fifty years ago. Letters include those to and fromNewton as well as some from the time that refer to Newton; some shorter memoranda andunpublished manuscripts by Newton are also included. Each item is followed by explanatorymaterial. This volume contains 156 writings, 95 of which were written by or to Newton. Seethe review by Eberhard Knobloch in Zentralblatt MATH 1170.01010. (CJ) #37.2.50

Newton, Isaac. The Correspondence of Isaac Newton. Volume II: 1676–1687. Reprint ofthe 1960 hardback edition. Edited by H. W. Turnbull. Cambridge: Cambridge UniversityPress, 2008, xiii+552 pp. (See #37.2.50 for general information on this series.) This volumecontains the Newton–Oldenburg–Leibniz correspondence of 1676, along with lettersbetween Newton and other mathematicians and scientists. There are 162 writings in thisvolume, 94 by or to Newton, the rest between some of his contemporaries on issues pertain-ing to Newton’s work. See the review by Eberhard Knobloch in Zentralblatt MATH1170.01011. (CJ) #37.2.51

Newton, Isaac. The Correspondence of Isaac Newton. Volume III: 1688–1694. Reprint ofthe 1961 hardback edition. Edited by H. W. Turnbull. Cambridge: Cambridge UniversityPress, 2008, xviii+445 pp. (See #37.2.50 for general information on this series.) This vol-ume contains 147 writings, 102 of them by or to Newton. Correspondence topics includethe reception of Newton’s Principia by Huygens and others. This volume also containsthe only letters written directly between Newton and Leibniz (1693). See the review byEberhard Knobloch in Zentralblatt MATH 1170.01012. (CJ) #37.2.52


Newton, Isaac. The Correspondence of Isaac Newton. Volume IV: 1694–1709. Reprint of the1967 hardback edition. Edited by J. F. Scott. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008,xxxii+578 pp. (See #37.2.50 for general information on this series.) This volume covers a widerange of topics, including the publication of the second edition of Newton’s Principia, whichcontained his further research on the motion of the moon, the solar system, and comets. New-ton’s association with Flamsteed is also documented in this volume. (CJ) #37.2.53

Pamparacuatro Martın, Javier. La cuestion de la asercion in La Logique ou l’art de penser yla Grammaire generale et raisonnee [The issue of assertion in La Logique ou l’art de penser andthe Grammaire generale et raisonnee]. Theoria, Segunda Epoca 23 (63) (2008), 267–283.Analyzes the notion of assertion in two 17th-century French works on logic of the JansenistPort-Royal school, and observes that the authors in some ways anticipated Frege’s distinctionbetween propositional content and prepositional attitude. (KP) #37.2.54

Schneider, Ivo. Trends in German mathematics at the time of Descartes’ stay in southernGermany, in #37.2.56, pp. 45–67. The author indicates four approaches for evaluatingGerman mathematics in the early 17th century, inlcuding catalogs of book fairs; research pro-duction; those listed by Edouard Mehl as influences on Descartes, and Descartes’ own works.Finding a good degree of overlap, he proceeds to analyze the milieu. See the review by Karl-Heinz Schlote in Mathematical Reviews 2449433 (2009j:01008). (DJM) #37.2.55

Serfati, Michel; and Descotes, Dominique, eds. Mathematiciens franc�ais du XVIIe sie-cle—Descartes, Fermat, Pascal [French Mathematicians of the Seventeenth Century—Des-cartes, Fermat, Pascal], Clermont-Ferrand: Presses Universitaires Blaise-Pascal, 2008,281 pp. Proceedings of a conference in February 2005 at the Institut Henri Poincare.The papers in this volume are listed or abstracted separately as: #37.2.43; #37.2.46;#37.2.47; #37.2.49; #37.2.55; #37.2.57; #37.2.58; and #37.2.59. (DJM) #37.2.56

Serfati, Michel; and Descotes, Dominique. Introduction, in #37.2.56, pp. 7–10. #37.2.57

Serfati, Michel. Constructivismes et obscurites dans la Geometrie de Descartes. Quel-ques remarques philosophiques [Constructivisms and obscurities in Descartes’s Geometry.Some philosophical remarks], in #37.2.56, pp. 11–44. The author describes Descartes’s the-oretical generalization of ruler and compass construction to include constructibility by par-allel joined rulers, although Descartes never evaluated the practicality of the theory byconstructing such a device. See the review by H. Guggenheimer in Zentralblatt MATH1162.01005. (DJM) #37.2.58

Spiesser, Maryvonne. Pierre Fermat, profil et rayonnement d’un mathematicien sin-gulier [Pierre Fermat: Profile and influence of a singular mathematician], in #37.2.56,pp. 167–197. The author considers Fermat’s biography, mathematics, correspondenceand philosophy of science. See the review by B. Rouxel in Zentralblatt MATH1175.01012. (DJM) #37.2.59

18th century

Alfonsi, Liliane. Etienne Bezout: Analyse algebrique au siecle des Lumieres [EtienneBezout: Algebraic analysis in the Age of Enlightenment]. Revue d’Histoire des Mathema-tiques 14 (2) (2008), 211–287. A discussion of the innovations in algebraic analysis of Eti-enne Bezout (1730–1783). (SED) #37.2.60


Barnett, Janet Heine. Mathematics goes ballistic: Benjamin Robins, Leonhard Euler,and the mathematical education of military engineers. British Society for the History ofMathematics Bulletin 24 (2) (2009), 92–104. This article presents a history of ballistics,which emphasizes Euler’s 1745 work Neue Grundzuge der Artillerie. See the review by Tho-mas Sonar in Mathematical Reviews 1173.01005. (DK) #37.2.61

Camunez Ruiz, Jose Antonio; and Ortega Irizo, Francisco Javier. Smallpox and the mem-ory of D. Bernoulli. An early example of applied statistics. Boletın de la Sociedad Estadıstica eInvestigacion Operativa 24 (3) (2008), 27–34. The authors analyze the content of D. Bernoulli’smemoir on an application of statistics to a real problem of epidemiology the mathematicianpresented to the Academy of the Sciences of Paris in 1760. (LM) #37.2.62

Dunlop, Katherine. Why Euclid’s geometry brooked no doubt: J. H. Lambert on cer-tainty and the existence of models. Synthese 167 (1) (2009), 33–65. Discusses Lambert’sphilosophical views on justifying mathematical theories, focusing especially on Euclideangeometry. See the review by Leon Harkleroad in Zentralblatt MATH 1171.01004.(CJ) #37.2.63

Gonzalez Redondo, Francisco A. Constants, units, measures, and dimensionals inLeonard Euler’s mechanics, 1736–1765, in Baker, Roger, ed., Euler Reconsidered. Tercen-tenary Essays (Heber City, UT: Kendrick Press, 2007), pp. 205–231. The author locatesEuler’s work in the transition between Newtonian geometrical mechanics and Fourier’sanalytical approach. See the review by Teun Koetsier in Zentralblatt MATH 1160.01010.(DJM) #37.2.64

Kahane, Jean-Pierre. Partial differential equations, trigonometric series, and the conceptof function around 1800: A brief story about Lagrange and Fourier, in Mitrea, Dorina,et al., eds., Perspectives in Partial Differential Equations, Harmonic Analysis and Applica-tions. A Volume in Honor of Vladimir G. Maz’ya’s 70th Birthday (Proceedings of Symposiain Pure Mathematics 79) (Providence, RI: American Mathematical Society, 2008), pp. 87–205. The author discusses the early history of Fourier series and the problem of vibratingstrings in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, including drafts written by Lagrange andFourier indicating that some of Lagrange’s criticisms of Fourier stemmed from a misunder-standing of the domain of validity for a Fourier series representation of a function. See thereview by Hans Fischer in Zentralblatt MATH 1165.01008. (DJM) #37.2.65

Newton, Isaac. The Correspondence of Isaac Newton. Volume V: 1709–1713. Reprint ofthe 1975 hardback edition. Edited by A. Rupert Hall and Laura Tilling. Cambridge:Cambridge University Press, 2008, xlix+439 pp. (See #37.2.50 for general informationon this series.) This volume covers an important period in Newton’s life, including the timewhen the Commercium Epistolicum’s summary of the priority dispute between Newton andLeibniz on the discovery of calculus was written. This volume contains 241 documents, 175of them by or to Newton. See the review by Eberhard Knobloch in Zentralblatt MATH1170.01008. (CJ) #37.2.66

Newton, Isaac. The Correspondence of Isaac Newton. Volume VI: 1713–1718. Reprint ofthe 1976 hardback edition. Edited by A. Rupert Hall and Laura Tilling. Cambridge:Cambridge University Press, 2008, xlix+439 pp. (See #37.2.50 for general informationon this series.) This volume contains 321 documents, 172 of them written by or to Newton.Those letters not having to do with Mint business are mostly about the ongoing disputebetween Newton and Leibniz over discovering calculus. The priority controversy thus


receives a good deal of attention in this volume. See the review by Eberhard Knobloch inZentralblatt MATH 1170.01009. (CJ) #37.2.67

Newton, Isaac. The Correspondence of Isaac Newton. Volume VII: 1718–1727. Reprint ofthe 1977 hardback edition. Edited by A. Rupert Hall and Laura Tilling. Cambridge: Cam-bridge University Press, 2008, xlv+522 pp. (See #37.2.50 for general information on thisseries.) This last volume contains 256 documents, 239 of them being letters to and fromNewton. Some of these continue to document Newton’s outlook on the calculus prioritydispute. An appendix contains letters from earlier time periods that were not included inprevious volumes, along with a number of errata for those volumes. See the review by Eber-hard Knobloch in Zentralblatt MATH 1172.01014. (CJ) #37.2.68

Ortega Irizo, Francisco Javier. See #37.2.62.

Pellicer, Manuel Lopez. Tres insignes ilustrados: Bethencourt, Euler y Jorge Juan [Threeimportant philosophers of the Enlightment: Bethencourt, Euler and Jorge Juan]. Revista dela Academia Canaria de Ciencias 19 (1–2) (2008), 129–154. Discusses the lives of Euler andtwo little-known Spanish Enlightenment philosophers. See the review by Pedro J. Paul inZentralblatt MATH 1168.01301. (CJ) #37.2.69

Urken, Arnold B. Grokking Condorcet’s 1785 Essai. Electronic Journal for History ofProbability and Statistics/Journal Electronique d’Histoire des Probabilites et de la Statistique4 (1) (2008), Article 3, 18 pp., electronic only. The paper reviews analyses of Condorcet’sEssai by Baker, Daston, Young, McLean and Schofield to consider their differentapproaches to Condorcet’s theories and to suggest new insights and directions for furtherresearch. (DJM) #37.2.70

See also #37.2.101.

19th century

Becvarova, Martina. How to fix an election honestly! Ivan Petrov Salabashev’s novelvoting procedure in Bulgaria, 1879–1880. Annals of Science 66 (3) (2009), 397–406.Recounts the work of Bulgarian mathematician and politician Salabashev (1853–1924) indevising a combinatorial scheme for deputy chamber voting to guarantee the election ofan all-Bulgarian candidate slate, without resorting to fraud or bribery of political rivals.(KP) #37.2.71

Benis Sinaceur, Hourya. Necessite et fecondite des definitions: fondements de la theoriedes nombres de Richard Dedekind (1831–1916) [Necessity and fecundity of definitions:Foundations of the number theory of Richard Dedekind (1831–1916)], in #37.2.12, pp.29–72. From a close study of the importance Dedekind attached to definitions in his workon real and natural numbers, the author concludes that Dedekind was inspired by Rie-mann’s work on space to supply similar grounding for numbers, and that Dedekind gavemathematical ideas, rather than logic, a primary position in his mathematical philosophy.See the review by Victor V. Pambuccian in Mathematical Reviews 2478764 (2009m:01013).(DJM) #37.2.72

Bingham, Nicholas. Heroic periods. Mathematiques et Sciences Humaines. Mathematicsand Social Sciences 176 (2006), 31–42. Bingham hypothesizes about the gap between earlynineteenth century work on the method of least squares and the late nineteenth century


development of regression and correlation. See the review by Stefan Porubsky in Zentralbl-att MATH 1171.01006. (DK) #37.2.73

Christiansen, Andreas. Bernt Michael Holmboe (1795–1850) and his mathematics text-books. British Society for the History of Mathematics Bulletin 24 (2) (2009), 105–113. Theauthor analyzes the influential textbooks of Bernt Michael Holmboe, who is known as ateacher of Niels Henrik Abel. See the review by Reinhard Siegmund-Schultze in Mathemat-ical Reviews 1172.01007. (DK) #37.2.74

Darrigol, Olivier. Diversite et harmonie de la physique mathematique dans les prefacesdes Henri Poincare [Diversity and harmony in the mathematical physics of Henri Poincare],in Pont, Jean-Claude, et al., eds., Pour Comprendre le XIXe. Histoire et Philosophie des Sci-ences a la Fin du Siecle (Florence: Leo S. Olschki Editore, 2007), pp. 221–240. AnalyzesPoincare’s philosophy of science by concentrating on the prefaces to his books. See thereview by Teun Koetsier in Zentralblatt MATH 1168.01007. (CJ) #37.2.75

Duren, Peter. Changing faces: The mistaken portrait of Legendre. Notices of theAmerican Mathematical Society 56 (11) (2009), 1440–1443. The author describes the cir-cumstances that led to the realization that a portrait of Legendre was actually of a politi-cian Louis Legendre, and not of the mathematician Adrien-Marie Legendre (1752–1833),as had been supposed for more than a century. (DJM) #37.2.76

Ehrhardt, Caroline. Evariste Galois, un candidat a l’Ecole preparatoire en 1829 [Evar-iste Galois in 1829 at the entrance competition for the Ecole preparatoire]. Revue d’Histoiredes Mathematiques 14 (2) (2008), 289–328. An analysis of Galois’s solution to the problemsfor the 1829 entrance examination for the Ecole preparatoire. The author compares Galois’spaper with those of other candidates and his examination with those from 1826 to 1830.(SED) #37.2.77

Ferreiros, Jose. The motives behind Cantor’s set theory—physical, biological, andphilosophical questions. Science in Context 17 (1–2) (2004), 49–83. The author discussesthe main extra-mathematical motivations behind Cantor’s set theory. He focuses on theGrundlagen of 1883 and also analyzes other publications and correspondence in the contextof the German intellectual atmosphere of that time. (LM) #37.2.78

Grattan-Guinness, Ivor. Instruction in the calculus and differential equations in Britain,1820s–1900s, in Brizzi, G.P.; and Tavoni, M.G., eds., Dalla pecia all’e-book. Libri per l’uni-versita: Stampa, editoria, circolazione e lettura. Atti del convegno internazionale di studi.Bologna, 21–25 ottobre 2008 (Bologna: CLUEB, 2009), pp. 443–453. The author argues thatthe case of calculus instruction in Britain in the 19th century was unique in that the subjectwas “relearnt”. The British abandoned the Newtonian form of calculus and took up theLeibniz-Euler and Lagrange versions, although in ways that did not always reflect contem-porary concerns on the Continent. The tale of calculus in Britain is traced mostly throughan analysis of textbooks published over the course of the century. (DJM) #37.2.79

Kidwell, Peggy Aldrich. Computing devices, mathematics education and mathematics:Sexton’s omnimetre in its time. Historia Mathematica 36 (4) (2009), 395–404. Sexton’somnimetre was an inexpensive circular slide rule, one of many computational aids thatbecame widespread in the late nineteenth century. The author argues that these instrumentschanged the nature of computation from an intellectual activity to a mechanical one, and


that the ease of this mechanical computation changed the status of numbers and the style ofmathematics instruction as well as the practice of engineering. (DJM) #37.2.80

Leibrock, Gerd, ed. Der Briefwechsel zwischen Carl Friedrich Gauß und Johann FriedrichPfaff [Correspondence between Carl Friedrich Gauss and Johann Friedrich Pfaff], (Algoris-mus 63), Augsburg: ERV Dr. Erwin Rauner Verlag, 2008, 209 pp. An edition of lettersbetween Gauss and Pfaff. (DJM) #37.2.81

Lemmermeyer, Franz; and Pieper, Herbert, eds. Vorlesungen uber Zahlentheorie. CarlGustav Jacob Jacobi, Wintersemester 1836/37, Konigsberg [Lectures on Number Theory. CarlGustav Jacob Jacobi, Winter Semester 1836/37, Konigsberg], (Algorismus 62), Augsburg: ERVDr. Erwin Rauner Verlag, 2007, xxv+330 pp. An edition of a course of lectures given byJacobi on number theory in the winter semester of 1836/37 at the University of Konigsberg.The editors give a guide to the contents of the lectures, including modern equivalents of someof the terminology, and provide a German translation of the many later additions by Jacobi inLatin. See the review by H. Opolka in Zentralblatt MATH 1148.11003. (DJM) #37.2.82

Lutzen, Jesper. Why was Wantzel overlooked for a century? The changing importanceof an impossibility result. Historia Mathematica 36 (4) (2009), 374–394. Pierre Wantzel(1814–1848) proved in 1837 that the duplication of a cube and trisection of an angle couldnot be constructed by ruler and compass. For the next century his results were largelyignored. The author argues that this neglect arose from an indifference to impossibilityresults at the time. (DJM) #37.2.83

Moc, Ondrej. Gauss’s definition of the gamma function. Annales Academiae Paedagog-icae Cracoviensis 63 Studia Mathematica 7 (2008), 35–40. This paper discusses the contri-butions of Wessel, Argand, Hamilton, and Cauchy to the theory of complex numbersand provides a summary of Gauss’ investigations on the gamma function. See the reviewby Karin Reich in Zentralblatt MATH 1173.01006. (LM) #37.2.84

Pieper, Herbert. See #37.2.82.

Rice, Adrian. Gaussian guesswork (or why 1.19814023473559220744. . . is such a beau-tiful number). Math Horizons (November 2009), 12–15. In his diary of May 30, 1799, whenhe was 22 years old, Gauss noted a relationship between p, a constant x related to lemnis-cate integrals, and the arithmetic-geometric mean of 1 and

ffiffiffi

2p

that held for the first elevendecimal places. Rice shows how, without inspired guesswork, Gauss would never have beenled to formulate a rigorous proof linking the three numbers, and so open a new branch ofmathematics. (DJM) #37.2.85

Stammbach, Urs. Die eindeutige Primfaktorzerlegung [Unique prime factorization].Mathematische Semesterberichte 56 (1) (2009), 105–122. The author recounts the historical stepstowards an understanding of prime factorization in subrings of the complex numbers as an aid tostudents who only see the smooth modern description in an abstract algebra class and may notappreciate the difficulties people had in constructing the theory. (DJM) #37.2.86

Vives, Maria Cinta Caballer. The special school of mathematics: The royal scientificindustrial seminary de Vergara. LLULL 31 (67) (2008), 21–40. This paper analyzes the cur-riculum and faculty of Real Seminario Cientıfico Industrial de Vergara. See the review byPietro De Poi in Mathematical Reviews 1172.01013. (DK) #37.2.87

See also #37.2.65; and #37.2.101.


20th century

Aalen, Odd O.; Andersen, Per Kragh; Borgan, Ørnulf; Gill, Richard D.; and Keiding,Niels. History of applications of martingales in survival analysis. Electronic Journal forHistory of Probability and Statistics/Journal Electronique d’Histoire des Probabilites et dela Statistique 5 (1) (2009), Article 12, 28 pp., electronic only. Outlines some of the personaland professional links in the late 20th century that facilitated the use of martingale methods(especially by means of French probabilistic concepts) in analyzing survival data.(KP) #37.2.88

Adelmann, Clemens. Letters from William Burnside to Robert Fricke: Automorphicfunctions, and the emergence of the Burnside problem. Archive for History of Exact Sci-ences 63 (1) (2009), 33–50. This article explores Burnside and Fricke’s shared interest inautomorphic functions. Many letters are printed in full. See the review by Leon Harkleroadin Zentralblatt MATH 1172.01008. (DK) #37.2.89

Amann, H. See #37.2.113.

Andersen, Per Kragh. See #37.2.88.

Arnol’d, V.I. Forgotten and neglected theories of Poincare. Russian Mathematical Sur-veys 61 (1) (2006), 1–18. Arnol’d has extensive experience with Poincare’s work, includingediting his works in Russian. Here he reflects on the areas Poincare advanced where he feelsthat Poincare’s early achievements have not been sufficiently recognized as foreshadowinglater developments of twentieth-century mathematics. See the review by Albert C. Lewis inZentralblatt MATH 1165.01013. (DJM) #37.2.90

Aytuna, Aydın. See #37.2.111.

Baker, Roger C. See #37.2.110.

Beloshapka, V. K. Poincare’s program as an alternative to Klein’s (Centenary of thepublication). Russian Journal of Mathematical Physics 14 (4) (2007), 498–500. The articledescribes Poincare’s approach to the study of infinite-dimensional geometry, based on iden-tifying a canonical object and then considering the object’s symmetry group, as in a waydual to Klein’s program of reasoning from a prescribed structure group to objects.(KP) #37.2.91

Bienvenu, Laurent; Shafer, Glenn; and Shen, Alexander. On the history of martingalesin the study of randomness. Electronic Journal for History of Probability and Statistics/Journal Electronique d’Histoire des Probabilites et de la Statistique 5 (1) (2009), Article 7,40 pp., electronic only. Discusses the 1919 introduction of von Mises’ notion of a randomsequence or “collective” as the basic element of probability, Jean Ville’s successful reformu-lation of this concept in the 1930s using martingales, and the revival of interest in martin-gales from the 1960s onward in the context of studying algorithmic complexity andrandomness. (KP) #37.2.92

Bolker, Ethan D., coordinating editor. Andrew M. Gleason (1921–2008). Notices of theAmerican Mathematical Society 56 (10) (2009), 1236–1267. An extended appreciation of themultifaceted contributions to mathematics by Gleason. Includes comments, reminiscencesand reviews by Ethan Bolker (50+ years . . .); John Burroughs, David Lieberman, JimReeds (Secret Life of Andy Gleason); Richard Palais (Hilbert’s Fifth Problem); John


Wermer (Banach algebras); Joel Spencer (Discrete mathematics); Paul Chernoff (Quantummechanics); Lida Barrett (The mathematics profession); Deborah Hughes Hallett (with T.Christine Stevens, Jeff Tekosky-Feldman, Thomas Tucker) (Teaching); Leslie Dunton-Downer (Remembrance); Jean Berko Gleason (A life well lived). (DJM) #37.2.93

Borgan, Ørnulf. See #37.2.88.

Bru, Bernard; Bru, Marie-France; and Chung, Kai Lai. Borel and the St. Petersburgmartingale. Electronic Journal for History of Probability and Statistics/Journal Electroniqued’Histoire des Probabilites et de la Statistique 5 (1) (2009), Article 3, 58 pp., electronic only.This article discusses Borel’s long and fruitful relationship with the St. Petersburg paradox.(KP/DJM) #37.2.94

Bru, Marie-France. See #37.2.94.

Calegari, Danny; and Farb, Benson, coordinating editors. Remembering John Stallings.Notices of the American Mathematical Society 56 (11) (2009), 1410–1417. An appreciationof Berkeley mathematician John Stallings (1935–2008) with contributions by Danny Cale-gari; Benson Farb; Peter Shalen; Hyam Rubenstein; Mahan Mj; Anandaswarup Gadde;Koji Fujiwara; Stephen Miller; and Barry Mazur, together with a brief submission on“Items from my unknown autobiography” by Stallings. (DJM) #37.2.95

Cerroni, Cinzia. The contributions of Hilbert and Dehn to non-Archimedean geome-tries and their impact on the Italian school. Revue d’Histoire des Mathematiques 13 (2)(2007), 259–299. Examines the work of David Hilbert and Max Dehn on non-Archimedeangeometries and how it was received by the Italian school, in particular Roberto Bonola.(SED) #37.2.96

Chung, Kai Lai. See #37.2.94.

Damour, Thibault. What is missing from Minkowski’s “Raum und Zeit” lecture?Annalen der Physik (8) 17 (9–10) (2008), 619–630. The author tries to understand in par-ticular why Minkowski does not reference Poincare’s work on four-dimensional geom-etry, and what was Minkowski’s understanding of the meaning of time in spacetime, asan approach to understanding the “revolutionary step” taken by Minkowski in the lec-ture. (DJM) #37.2.97

Eckert, Michael. Theory from wind tunnels: Empirical roots of twentieth century fluiddynamics. Centaurus 50 (3) (2008), 233–253. The author focuses on the interaction betweenempirical data from wind tunnels and theoretical development in fluid dynamics.(DJM) #37.2.98

Einstein, Albert. The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein. Vol. 11. Cumulative Index, Bib-liography, List of Correspondence, Chronology, and Errata to Volumes 1–10. Edited by A. J.Kox, Tilman Sauer, Diana Kormos Buchwald, Rudy Hirschmann, Osik Moses, BenjaminAronin and Jennifer Stolper. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2009, xv+619 pp.A collection of indices and aids to the previous ten volumes of Einstein’s correspondence.See the review by Karin Reich in Zentralblatt MATH 1171.01011. (DJM) #37.2.99

Einstein, Albert. The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein. Vol. 12. The Berlin Years: Cor-respondence, January–December 1921. Edited by Diana Kormos Buchwald, Ze’ev Rosenk-ranz, Tilman Sauer, Jozsef Illy, and Virginia Iris Holmes. Princeton, NJ: PrincetonUniversity Press, 2009, lxxvii+609 pp. Volume 12 of Einstein’s correspondence includes


169 letters from Einstein and 180 to him from 1921 and 12 additional letters that belongedin previous volumes. This volume also includes several appendices concerning lectures Ein-stein gave during his first visit to the US during April and May 1921. See the review byKarin Reich in Zentralblatt MATH 1173.01011. (DJM) #37.2.100

Elstrodt, Jurgen; and Schmitz, Norbert. Geschichte der Mathematik an der UniversitatMunster. Teil I: [History of mathematics at the University of Munster. Part I:] 1773–1945, Munster: Jurgen Elstrodt/Norbert Schmitz, 2008, 142 pp. Traces the developmentof mathematics at the University of Munster from the university’s founding in 1773through the end of World War II, with special reference to the expansion of mathematicalresearch in the early 20th century. See the review by H. Opolka in Zentralblatt MATH1173.01010. (KP) #37.2.101

Espanol Gonzalez, Luis. Geometrıa compleja sintetica en la obra temprana de Julio ReyPastor [Complex synthetic geometry in Julio Rey Pastor’s early work]. Revista de la Aca-demia Colombiana de Ciencias Exactas, Fısicas y Naturales 32 (124) (2008), 381–402. Thispaper is a study of the 1916 book Fundamentos de la geometrıa proyectiva superior by JulioRey Pastor (1888–1962) on synthetic complex geometry. See the review by Antonio Mar-tinon in Zentralblatt MATH 1173.01007. (DJM) #37.2.102

Farb, Benson. See #37.2.95.

Feferman, Solomon. Harmonious logic: Craig’s interpolation theorem and its descen-dants. Synthese 164 (3) (2008), 341–357. The article begins with a description of the earlyhistory of Craig’s interpolation theorem, and then focusses on the subsequent generaliza-tions and applications comparing the proof-theoretic generalizations and model-theoreticapplications. (DJM) #37.2.103

Folkerts, Menso. In Memoriam: Hubertus L.L. Busard: (1923–2007). HistoriaMathematica 36 (4) (2009), 317–320. A brief appreciation of Hubertus Bussard, who pro-duced an extensive series of critical editions of medieval Western mathematics, including abibliography of his books. (DJM) #37.2.104

Frolich, Jurg. A Journey Through Statistical Physics. Selecta of Jurg Frolich. Edited byGiovanni Felder, Gian Michele Graf, and Klaus Hepp. Dordrecht: Springer, 2009, 857 pp.This book presents 29 selected papers by Jurg Frolich on statistical physics of many bodysystems. It includes a foreword by Frolich, outlining his career and collaborative relations.See the review by K. E. Hellwig in Zentralblatt MATH 1169.01013. (DK) #37.2.105

Gautschi, Walter. A guided tour through my bibliography. Numerical Algorithms 45 (1–4) (2007), 11–35. The author presents fifty years of his activity by listing his publicationsand giving some indications about the content. (LM) #37.2.106

Georgiadou, Maria. Ein Hort der Gelehrsamkeit. Die Bibliothek Constantin Carathe-odorys [A treasure of scholarship. The library of Constantin Carath�eodory]. SudhoffsArchiv. Zeitschrift fur Wissenschaftsgeschichte 91 (2) (2007), 239–247. This paper presentsthe virtual reconstruction of the library of the mathematician Constantin Caratheodorywhich contained books, offprints, collections, scientific journals, lecture notes, maps, andphotographs. (LM) #37.2.107

Gill, Richard D. See #37.2.88.


Ikeda, Masatoshi Gunduz. Collected Works. Edited by Ersan Akyildiz and BulentKarasozen. Ankara: Mathematics Foundation of Turkey, 2009, x+345 pp. An editionof the collected works of the algebraist and number-theorist Masatoshi Gunduz Ikeda(1926–2003). In addition to reproducing some 35 papers of Ikeda’s, the volume includestwo essays about his life and mathematics by colleagues Mehpare Bilhan and CemalKoc. See the review by Jebrel M. Habeb in Zentralblatt MATH 1169.01014.(DJM) #37.2.108

Jankvist, Uffe Thomas. A teaching module on the history of public-key cryptographyand RSA. British Society for the History of Mathematics Bulletin 23 (3) (2008), 157–168.This article includes an overview of the history of public-key cryptography and RSAand reports on related student projects. See the review by Hans Fischer in ZentralblattMATH 1171.01008. (DK) #37.2.109

Kahane, Jean-Pierre. Selected Works. Edited by Roger C. Baker, with a preface by YvesMeyer. Heber City, UT: Kendrick Press, 2009, xiv+688 pp. This volume is a collection of63 selected papers of the analyst Jean-Pierre Kahane. His research interests range fromFourier analysis to Brownian motion and multiplicative processes. See the review by Rein-hard Siegmund-Schultze in Zentralblatt MATH 1172.01011. (LM) #37.2.110

Keiding, Niels. See #37.2.88.

Kiselman, Christer O. Vyacheslav Zakharyuta’s complex analysis, in Aytuna, Aydın,et al., eds., Functional Analysis and Complex Analysis.Papers from the Conference held atSabancı University, Istanbul, September 17–21, 2007 (Contemporary Mathematics 481)(Providence, RI: American Mathematical Society, 2009), pp. 1–15. Based on the author’stalk at the September 2007 conference “Functional Analysis and Complex Analysis” inhonor of Vyacheslav Pavlovich Zakharyuta’s seventieth birthday, this article describesthe content and influence of Zakharyuta’s work in complex analysis, particularly pluripo-tential theory. The edited volume is reviewed by J. Siciak in Mathematical Reviews 2499030(2009j:46001). (KP) #37.2.111

Kitagawa, Genshiro. Contributions of Professor Hirotugu Akaike in statistical science.Journal of the Japan Statistical Society 38 (1) (2008), 119–130. Examines the researchachievements of the statistician Akaike (1927–2009), featuring the Akaike information cri-terion (AIC) for selecting statistical models, as well as results in time series analysis andBayesian modeling. (KP) #37.2.112

Konig, Heinz. Measure and integral: New foundations after one hundred years, inAmann, H., et al., eds., Functional Analysis and Evolution Equations (Basel: Birkhauser,2008), pp. 405–422. Traces the evolution of Borel’s and Lebesque’s theory of measureand integral (ca. 1900) in two manifestations: the standard abstract theory and the theoryof Radon measures on Hausdorff topological spaces. The author describes later systemati-zation efforts of the theory by himself and others, attempting to describe rather than unifythe concepts of measure and integral in the two forms of the theory. See the review in Math-ematical Reviews 2402743 (2009i:28002). (KP) #37.2.113

Lai, Tze Leung. Martingales in sequential analysis and time series, 1945–1985. Elec-tronic Journal for History of Probability and Statistics/Journal Electronique d’Histoire desProbabilites et de la Statistique 5 (1) (2009), Article 11, 31 pp., electronic only. The paperdescribes the introduction of martingale methods into statistics in the mid-20th century,


particularly in response to the development of sophisticated data-generating methods suchas sequential analysis and time series analysis. (KP) #37.2.114

Lepage, Franc�ois. Les definitions sont-elles triviales: Russell, Poincare, Lesniewski [Onwhether definitions are trivial: Russell, Poincare, Lesniewski], in #37.2.12, pp. 115–133. #37.2.115

Markowitz, Harry M. Selected Works. Edited by Harry M. Markowitz. Hackensack,NJ: World Scientific, 2008, xvi+700 pp. This book comprises a selection of reprints ofMarkowitz’ papers on portfolio theory, optimization and simulation, including his workon the SIMSCRIPT language. See the review by Angel F. Tenorio in Zentralblatt MATH1173.01013. (DJM) #37.2.116

Mazliak, Laurent. How Paul Levy saw Jean Ville and martingales. Electronic Journal forHistory of Probability and Statistics/Journal Electronique d’Histoire des Probabilites et de laStatistique 5 (1) (2009), Article 5, 24 pp., electronic only. Explores the research of theFrench probabilist Levy on martingale properties, and the reasons for his lack of appreci-ation of the work on martingales by his contemporary Jean Ville. (KP) #37.2.117

Meyer, Paul-Andre. Stochastic processes from 1950 to the present. Electronic Journalfor History of Probability and Statistics/Journal Electronique d’Histoire des Probabilites etde la Statistique 5 (1) (2009), Article 9, 42 pp., electronic only. Beginning with Doob’s1953 Stochastic Processes, “the Bible of the new probability”, the article surveys key con-cepts (including Markov processes, the stochastic integral, and martingale methods, amongothers) that shaped late 20th-century probability. (KP) #37.2.118

Meyer, Yves. See #37.2.110.

Miyake, Katsuya. Teiji Takagi, founder of the Japanese school of modern mathematics.Japanese Journal of Mathematics (3) 2 (1), 2007, 151–164. The author describes the per-sonal and mathematical development of Teiji Takagi (1875–1960), including his early inter-actions with German mathematicians and his subsequent explorations of class-field theoryduring World War I. See the review by J.-C. Martzloff in Zentralblatt MATH 1166.01011.(DJM) #37.2.119

Murawski, Roman; and Pogonowski, Jerzy. Logical investigations at the university ofPoznan in 1945–1955, in #37.2.1, pp. 239–253. Discusses the contributions of four leadinglogicians at Poland’s University of Poznan (now Adam Mickiewicz University) inmidcentury, and their connections to the Lvov-Warsaw school of logic. See the review by YuriV. Rogovchenko in Zentralblatt MATH 1165.01012. (KP) #37.2.120

Myjak, Jozef. Professor Andrzej Lasota—a biographical note. Opuscula Mathematica28 (4) (2008), 343–351. A brief biography of the Polish mathematician Andrzej Lasota(1932–2006), describing his mathematics, but also his philosophy and politics. See thereview by Reinhard Siegmund-Schultze in Zentralblatt MATH 1166.01012.(DJM) #37.2.121

Myjak, Jozef. Andrzej Lasota’s selected results. Opuscula Mathematica 28 (4) (2008),363–394 (2008). An overview of the work of Polish mathematician Andrzej Lasota(1932–2006) with emphasis of his results in differential equations, invariant measure theoryand generalized dimensions. See the review by Reinhard Siegmund-Schultze in ZentralblattMATH 1163.01010. (DJM) #37.2.122


Nikolic, Aleksandar. The story of majorizability as Karamata’s condition of conver-gence for Abel summable series. Historia Mathematica 36 (4) (2009), 405–419. The authorshows how the crucial idea of majorizability as a condition of convergence for Abel sum-mable series in the work of the Serbian mathematician Jovan Karamata (1902–1967) firstappeared in earlier results before becoming the core of his proof of the Hardy-LittlewoodTauberian theorem. (DJM) #37.2.123

Planck, Max. Max Planck: Annalen Papers. Edited by Dieter Hoffmann. Weinheim:Wiley-VCH, 2008, xv+857 pp. Dieter Hoffmann, the current editor of Annalen der Physik,has re-edited all the papers Planck published in the journal, around one-third of his total.The book includes 43 articles and a further 31 reviews, together with an introduction byHoffmann and introductory articles by prominent physicists and historians for each subse-quent chapter. See the review by Karl-Heinz Schlote in Zentralblatt MATH 1169.01001.(DJM) #37.2.124

Pogonowski, Jerzy. See #37.2.120.

Polotovskii, Grigory M. Traits to Portrait (To the 100 anniversary of N.N. Bogo-lyubov’s birth) [in Russian]. Mathematics in Higher Education 7 (2009), 161–172. A bio-graphical memoir on the academician Nikolaı� Nikolaevich Bogolyubov (1909–1992)based on a talk given at a conference in Nizhny Novgorod celebrating the centenary ofBogolyubov’s birth. (DJM) #37.2.125

Remmert, Volker R.; and Schneider, Ute, eds. Publikationsstrategien einer Disziplin.Mathematik in Kaiserreich und Weimarer Republik [Publication Strategies. MathematicsDuring the Era of Wilhelmian Emperors and the Weimar Republic] (Mainzer Studien zurBuchwissenschaft 19), Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 2008, 220 pp. Investigates mathe-matical textbooks, journals, publication of research, changes in publishing practices, andrelated topics in German mathematical publishing from 1870 to World War II. See thereview by Karl-Heinz Schlote in Zentralblatt MATH 1173.01001. (KP) #37.2.126

Rowe, David E. A Look Back at Hermann Minkowski’s Cologne Lecture Raum undZeit. The Mathematical Intelligencer 31 (2) (2009), 27–39. Drawing on several previouslypublished articles, including three from this journal, the author provides a detailed descrip-tion of the mathematical ideas and the mathematicians who held them that influenced Min-kowski’s writing of his important lecture,“Space and Time” which he delivered in 1908. Anextensive bibliography is included. The illustration on the front cover of this issue of TheMathematical Intelligencer is the first to be published of Minkowski’s spacetime.(FA) #37.2.127

Rusek, Piotr. Professor Andrzej Lasota’s theories in engineering. Opuscula Mathematica28 (4) (2008), 415–432. The article emphasizes the applications by Polish mathematicianAndrzej Lasota (1932–2006) of mathematical techniques, such as ergodic theory, to prac-tical issues in design of rock-cutting bits. See the review by Reinhard Siegmund-Schultzein Zentralblatt MATH 1163.01012. (DJM) #37.2.128

Schmitz, Norbert. See #37.2.101.

Schneider, Ute. See #37.2.126.

Shafer, Glenn. The education of Jean Andre Ville. Electronic Journal for History ofProbability and Statistics/Journal Electronique d’Histoire des Probabilites et de la Statistique


5 (1) (2009), Article 6, 50 pp., electronic only. Biographical sketch of the personal and pro-fessional history of Ville, one of the inventors of the modern martingale concept and game-theoretic probability, from birth through the presentation of his doctoral work in 1939.(KP) #37.2.129

Shafer, Glenn. See #37.2.92.

Shen, Alexander. See #37.2.92.

Siegmund-Schultze, Reinhard. Mathematicians Fleeing From Nazi Germany. IndividualFates and Global Impact, Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2009, xv+471 pp.An extensive and well-researched exploration of both the fates of individual mathemati-cians fleeing the Nazi regime, and also the cumulative impact of so many refugees on themathematical culture of the countries they settled in, especially the United States. The bookincludes 58 pictures and many case studies. See the review by Michael Berg in MAAReviews http://www.maa.org/maareviews/92093.html. (DJM) #37.2.130

Tikekar, V.G. Pride-worthy Indian contribution to Morley’s miracle. Gan: ita Bharat�ı 29 (1–2) (2007), 61–67. Chronicles M.T. Naraniengar’s pioneering 1909 elementary-geometry proofof Frank Morley’s 1899 result about the equilateral triangle determined by the intersections ofthe adjacent trisectors of the angles of an arbitrary triangle, and its subsequent neglect in thehistory of mathematics. An editor’s note supplies some citations of Naraniengar’s proof,showing that his contribution was not entirely overlooked. See the review by T. Thrivikramanin Mathematical Reviews 2473487 (2009k:51020). (KP) #37.2.131

Tverberg, Helge. Ernst S. Selmer (1920–1986) in memoriam [in Norwegian]. Normat 55(2) (2007), 50–52, 96. A short biography of the former Normat editor E. Selmer, “chieflyknown for the so called Selmer groups in connection with Diophantine cubic equations,playing a crucial role in Wiles’ work on the Fermat Conjecture.” (KP) #37.2.132

Varadarajan, V.S. George Mackey and his work on representation theory and founda-tions of physics, in Doran, Robert S., et al., eds., Group Representations, Ergodic Theory,and Mathematical Physics. A Tribute to George W. Mackey (Contemporary Mathematics449) (Providence, RI: American Mathematical Society, 2008), pp. 417–446. The authorgives an extended appreciation of George Mackey’s contributions to mathematics, with afocus on various aspects of representation theory and questions of hidden variables inthe foundations of physics. See the review by Antonio Martinon in Zentralblatt MATH1164.01005. (DJM) #37.2.133

Weil, Andre �uvres scientifiques [Collected Papers]. Vol. I (1926–1951). Paperback rep-rint of the 1979 edition. Berlin: Springer, 2009, xx+578 pp. This paperback reprint coversthe first third (by page-count) of the 1979 edition of Andre Weil’s (1906–1998) �uvres sci-entifiques, with chronologically organized papers from 1926 to 1951. See the review byJean-Paul Pier in Zentralblatt MATH 1173.01014. (DJM) #37.2.134

Wolenski, Jan. Chwistek-Tarski competition in Lvov. A contribution to social history oflogic, in #37.2.1, pp. 229–237. This article discusses the competition between Leon Chwis-tek and Alfred Tarski for a position in mathematical logic at the Faculty of Mathematicsand Natural Sciences of the Lvov University in 1928. See the review by Yuri V. Rog-ovchenko in Zentralblatt MATH 1163.01011. (LM) #37.2.135

See also #37.2.79.



Reviewers

Index of authors of reviews in Mathematical Reviews, Zentralblatt MATH, and otherpublications that are referenced in these abstracts.

Berg, Michael—#37.2.130.Borzacchini, L—#37.2.14; #37.2.30; and #37.2.48.Bruckler, Franka Miriam—#37.2.39.De Poi, Pietro—#37.2.44; and #37.2.87.Fischer, Hans—#37.2.65; and #37.2.109.Guergour, Youcef—#37.2.37.Guggenheimer, H.—#37.2.23; #37.2.26; #37.2.32;#37.2.43; and #37.2.58.Habeb, Jebrel M.—#37.2.108.Harkleroad, Leon—#37.2.63; and #37.2.89.Hellwig, K.E.—#37.2.105.Høyrup, Jens—#37.2.20; #37.2.21; #37.2.38;#37.2.41; and #37.2.45.Jesseph, Douglas M.—#37.2.47.Katz, Victor J.—#37.2.17.Kaunzner, W.—#37.2.35.Knobloch, Eberhard—#37.2.49; #37.2.50;#37.2.51; #37.2.52; #37.2.66; #37.2.67;and #37.2.68.Koetsier, Teun—#37.2.64; and #37.2.75.Lewis, Albert C.—#37.2.90.Martinon, Antonio—#37.2.102; and #37.2.133.Martzloff, J.-C.—#37.2.119.Opolka, H.—#37.2.82; and #37.2.101.

Pambuccian, Victor V.—#37.2.31; and#37.2.72.Papp, F.J.—#37.2.16.Paul, Pedro J.—#37.2.69.Pier, Jean-Paul.—#37.2.134.Porubsky, Stefan—#37.2.73.Reich, Karin—#37.2.84; #37.2.99; and#37.2.100.Rogovchenko, Yuri V.—#37.2.120; and#37.2.135.Rouxel, B.—#37.2.59.Schlote, Karl-Heinz.—#37.2.55; #37.2.124; and#37.2.126.Shea, William R.—#37.2.46.Siciak, J.—#37.2.111.Siegmund-Schultze, Reinhard—#37.2.74;#37.2.110; #37.2.121; #37.2.122; and #37.2.128.Sonar, Thomas—#37.2.18; and #37.2.61.Stachel, Hellmuth—#37.2.5.Tattersall, Jim—#37.2.25.Tenorio, Angel F.—#37.2.116.Thrivikraman, T.—#37.2.131.Wiezsław, Witold—#37.2.29.

abstracts - connecting repositories · recountings. conversations with mit mathematicians,...

Documents