"On the History of Gunter's Scale and the Slide Rule During the Seventeenth Century" by Florian Cajori is a detailed exploration of the development and significance of Gunter's scale and the slide rule in the context of 17th-century mathematics and engineering. Cajori meticulously examines the historical background, the mathematical principles involved, and the practical applications of these tools. His work highlights how these instruments revolutionized calculations and measurements, pav...

The slide rule, with its many variations, has been vital to mathematics and engineering since its invention in the 17th century. Interest in this field has grown dramatically and collectors can still find much material at affordable prices. Unfortunately there has been little information available except for manufacturers manuals and catalogs, making this reprint of Cajori's classic particularly valuable. Also included with this reprint of the 1910 edition is Cajori's extensive article On ...

This book treats of the evolution of the US dollar mark, the history and curiosities of American coinage.The United States dollar, adopted in 1785, was avowedly modelled on the average weight of the Spanish dollar coins in circulation. Thomas Jefferson speaks of the dollar as "a known coin, and the most familiar of all to the minds of the people." No United States dollars were actually coined before the year 1794. We proceed to unfold our data and to show the evolution of the dolla...

William Oughtred: A Great Seventeenth-Century Teacher of Mathematics is a comprehensive exploration of the life, work, and enduring influence of William Oughtred, one of the most significant mathematicians and educators of the seventeenth century. Authored by Florian Cajori, this detailed biography delves into Oughtred’s remarkable contributions to mathematics, particularly his innovations in mathematical notation and his invention of the slide rule, a tool that revolutionized calculation ...

On the History of Gunter's Scale and the Slide Rule During the Seventeenth Century is a comprehensive historical treatise that delves into the origins, development, and significance of two of the most important mathematical instruments of the early modern period: Gunter’s scale and the slide rule. Authored by Florian Cajori, a renowned historian of mathematics, the book meticulously traces the evolution of these calculating devices from their inception in the early 1600s through their wide...

This classic study notes the first appearance of a mathematical symbol and its origin, the competition it encountered, its spread among writers in different countries, its rise to popularity, its eventual decline or ultimate survival. The author's coverage of obsolete notations — and what we can learn from them — is as comprehensive as those which have survived and still enjoy favor. Originally published in 1929 in a two-volume edition, this monumental work is presented here in one volume....

A "wide-ranging, witty, and astonishingly learned" scientific and cultural history of the concept of the capacity to act in nature ( London Review of Books).Today, a scientific explanation is not meant to ascribe agency to natural phenomena: we would not say a rock falls because it seeks the center of the earth. Even for living things, in the natural sciences and often in the social sciences, the same is true. A modern botanist would not say that plants pur...

An entertaining and informative anthology of popular math writing from the Renaissance to cyberspaceDespite what we may sometimes imagine, popular mathematics writing didn't begin with Martin Gardner. In fact, it has a rich tradition stretching back hundreds of years. This entertaining and enlightening antholog—the first of its kind—gathers nearly one hundred fascinating selections from the past 500 years of popular math writing, bringing to life a little-known sid...

How, in 1705, was Thomas Salmon, a parson from Bedfordshire, able to persuade the Royal Society that a musical performance could constitute a scientific experiment? Or that the judgement of a musical audience could provide evidence for a mathematically precise theory of musical tuning? This book presents answers to these questions. It constitutes a general history of quantitative music theory in the late seventeenth century as well as a detailed study of one part of that history: namely th...

First published in 1875. According to the preface: "The principal aim of the Author has been to produce a History of Prince Edward Island, which might claim some degree of merit as to conciseness, accuracy, and impartiality, from the period it became a British possession until its recent union with the other confederated provinces of British North America."

"A splendid edition: it incorporates the most recent modern scholarship ... and it does so within a compass and format that is both readable and usable." - Around the GlobeMacbeth is one of Shakespeare's most performed and studied tragedies. This Arden Shakespeare Third Series edition offers students detailed on-page commentary notes highlighting meaning and theatrical ideas and themes, as well as an illustrated, lengthy introduction setting the p...

Ranging from math to literature to philosophy, Uncountable explains how numbers triumphed as the basis of knowledge—and compromise our sense of humanity.Our knowledge of mathematics has structured much of what we think we know about ourselves as individuals and communities, shaping our psychologies, sociologies, and economies. In pursuit of a more predictable and more controllable cosmos, we have extended mathematical insights and methods to more and more a...