The 17th century

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 527.

Mathematics in the 17th and 18th centuries

I. Look through the passage quickly and say:

- whatKepler, Galileo, Descartes, and Newtonworked at in the 17^th century

- what had replaced classical Greek geometry by the end of the 17th century

- whomMarin Mersenne in Paris informed of challenge problems and novel solutions

- what academies were founded in the 17^th century

The 17th century, the period of the scientific revolution, witnessed the consolidation of Copernican heliocentric astronomy and the establishment of inertial physics in the work of Kepler, Galileo, Descartes, and Newton. This period was also one of intense activity and innovation in mathematics. Advances in numerical calculation, the development of symbolic algebra and analytic geometry, and the invention of the differential and integral calculus resulted in a major expansion of the subject areas of mathematics. By the end of the 17th century a program of research based in analysis had replaced classical Greek geometry at the centre of advanced mathematics. In the next century this program would continue to develop in close association with physics, more particularly mechanics and theoretical astronomy. The extensive use of analytic methods, the incorporation of applied subjects, and the adoption of a pragmatic attitude to questions of logical rigour distinguished the new mathematics from traditional geometry.