The Calculus Wars
Today Newton and Leibniz are generally considered the twin independent inventors of calculus, and they are both credited with giving mathematics its greatest push forward since the time of the Greeks. Had they known each other under different circumstances, they might have been friends. But in their own lifetimes, the joint glory of calculus was not enough for either and each declared war against the other, openly and in secret. This long and bitter dispute has been swept under the carpet by historians--perhaps because it reveals Newton and Leibniz in their worst light--but this book tells the full story in narrative form for the first time, ultimately exposing how these twin mathematical giants were brilliant, proud, at times mad and, in the end, completely human.--From publisher description.
Stats for nerds
2recommend
2mentions
2people
2024–2025years
100% recommend
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- For calculus history, one of my earliest books I read was "Calculus wars" (https://www.amazon.com/Calculus-Wars-Jason-Socrates-Bardi/dp...). This also is a essentially book about the Newton and G W Leibneiz. But, it is pretty much a deep dive into life of these two men. Highly recommended.
Another great book is "Infinite Powers" by Steven Strogatz (https://www.amazon.com/Infinite-Powers-Calculus-Reveals-Univ...).
- I've been going through that very video lecture series the last couple of weeks. Good stuff. And in the lectures he mentions a number of books. I looked a few up on Amazon, and then looked at the associated Amazon recommendations, and so far have this small list of books related to Maths history that look worth reading:
There is also a "thing" in mathematics that is sometimes called the "genetic approach" where "genetic" is roughly equivalent to "historical" or maybe "developmental". IOW, a "genetic approach" book teaches a subject by tracing the development of the subject over its history. One popular book in this mold is:Mathematics and Its History (Undergraduate Texts in Mathematics) 3rd ed. 2010 Edition by John Stillwell The History of the Calculus and Its Conceptual Development (Dover Books on Mathematics) by Carl B. Boyer A History of Mathematics by Carl B. Boyer A Concise History of Mathematics: Fourth Revised Edition (Dover Books on Mathematics)A Concise History of Mathematics: Fourth Revised Edition (Dover Books on Mathematics) by Dirk J. Struik Introduction to the Foundations of Mathematics: Second Edition (Dover Books on Mathematics) Second Edition by Raymond L. Wilder Mathematical Thought from Ancient to Modern Times by Morris Kline (3 volume set) The Calculus Wars: Newton, Leibniz, and the Greatest Mathematical Clash of All Time by Jason Socrates BardiThe Calculus: A Genetic Approach by Otto Toeplitz
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