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MATH308: Historical Development of Mathematical Concepts and Ideas

Contains background information, major areas of research focused on chronological, geographical or thematic fields. Includes important books, journals and databases in the Morris Library collections.

Getting Started

This course guide provides students who are enrolled in MATH308: Historical Development of Mathematical Concepts and Ideas with a starting point for their research assignments. It was developed in collaboration with the instructors of the course. A majority of the books (print or electronic versions) listed in the "Additional References for those choosing this topic for their term paper" section found at the bottom of the weekly lectures page in Canvas appear in the guide. If the book was reviewed by MAA, either in Convergent or MAA Reviews, a link to the review is included in the description section of the book.

There are three possibilities for accessing a book (print or electronic) at the library:

  1. If you see a Call Number (e.g., QA21...), it means the library owns a print copy of the book.
  2. "Available Online" - means the library provides access to the e-book.
  3. "Available Upon Request" - means the library does not own a copy of the book.
A few of the texts are available full text view in Google Books, for example: Heath, T. L. (1921). A history of Greek mathematics. For your convenience, a quick guide to searching for full text books in Google Books has been provided. The guide appears in the "Specialized Histories" section of this guide.
 

The texts in this guide will help you find good information for MATH308. This guide is by no means comprehensive; rather, it is intended to serve as a starting point for your research and assignments. If you have questions about the guide or would like to request a consultation, please contact William Simpson, the subject librarian for mathematics.

As per the course syllabus, Katz, V. J. (2018). A history of mathematics : an introduction (Third edition.). Pearson, is the recommended text for MATH308. A print copy of the text is available at the Help Center (i.e., the main desk) at the Morris Library. The book has been placed on Reserve for Spring 2025. See Using Reserve Materials for details about using the text.

History of Math Toolbox, or Historiography and Methodology for Mathematicians: Introduction – References

The texts, below, from Amy Ackerberg-Hastings (MAA Convergence), "HoM Toolbox, or Historiography and Methodology for Mathematicians: Introduction – References," Convergence (December 2022)

Essays on the History of Mathematics

Monthly essays on mathematical topics published by AMS columnists.

Math Art -- Scott Carter

Image by Scott Carter -- USA Mathematics Faculty Member

Black History Month - This month, Notices of the AMS celebrates 10 decades of Black mathematicians, making contributions to a range of research in the mathematical sciences.