History of Science and Math Stack Exchange
History of Science and Math Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [reference-request]

For questions that are requesting specific literature references

Use this tag for questions that are asking for literature references. For example, they might ask about a specific quote, or references where the reader can read about the history of a specific piece of scientific theory.

Answers to questions using this tag should include the work(s) in question and a short description of them, preferably with a link to where the work(s) can be found.

366 questions
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How were Millennium Problems chosen? (according to what criteria)

I am making a presentation about Millennium Problems. There are 7 Millennium Problems but a lot of unsolved mathematics problems are also waiting to be solved. I know that these problems are much more important than many others but I need a more…
user4962
8
votes
1 answer

What is the origin of the term (non-)derogatory matrix?

A non-derogatory matrix $A$ is one, whose minimal polynomial $m(z)$ equals its characteristic polynomial $p(z)$, where we apply the convention $p(z) = det(zI-A)$, while a matrix is derogatory, if they do not coincide. I have certainly never felt…
thomashennecke
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7
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1 answer

Where to pursue a PhD in history of mathematics in Europe?

This is more a soft question, and I am not sure where I should place it so I ask for excuses if this is not the right place, but I could not find any other that seemed more suitable. I would like to know which Universities in Europe are as of 2020…
Luis Ferroni
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7
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Chronology of proofs of cubic and biquadratic reciprocity laws

I just want to check if anybody knows a website where one can find a chronology of proofs of more difficult reciprocity theorems (such as the cubic and biquadratic cases) similar to the (already existing) chronology of 246+ proofs of the law of…
user2554
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6
votes
1 answer

Euler's works after blindness

There are many sources which say that Euler produced, on average, one mathematical paper every week in the year $1775$. Some even say he produced almost half his total works despite the total blindness. I can't seem to find much works after $1770$,…
kingW3
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6
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2 answers

A book on Emmy Noether's life

I am looking for a good book on Noether's life. Not only a biography, but a book that also explains her life's work to a general, somewhat mathematically mature audience. If such a book is not available, then a book aimed at graduate students would…
The very fluffy Panda
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5
votes
1 answer

Did Srinivasa Ramanujan have a surviving sibling?

Wiki says 'After his death, his brother Tirunarayanan chronicled Ramanujan's remaining handwritten notes consisting of formulae on singular moduli, hypergeometric series and continued fractions and compiled them' (quoted from Indian express (I would…
Freeman.
5
votes
1 answer

Biography of L. Euler

Could you recommend a historically rigorous biography of L. Euler (if possible with discussions and examples of the mathematics he was doing)? Edit: I'd rather prefer a book (not necessarily about Euler alone) or a thorough article.
nabla
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4
votes
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Historical evidence for claim that we use base 10 because of the number of fingers

It is a common belief that we use a base 10 representation of integers because we have 10 fingers. Does there exist historical evidence which supports the claim that this is true and that the number of fingers indeed was the major reason that we…
Improve
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4
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What came first: pythagoras number or pythagorean fields?

Which concept was first introduced: the pythagoras number of a field or pythagorean fields? I have not found anything on this matter, but my gut feeling says the latter. One can more directly link the idea of pythagorean fields to Pythagoras'…
Bib-lost
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4
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1 answer

History of visualization in science and math - where may I read of it?

I am looking to inquire into the role of visualization in sciences and math and wish to read about the history of visualization in those fields and also wonder where I might read about the epistemology of visualization in math and physics.
Rumi
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3
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1 answer

When/Why did Septagon change to Heptagon?

I graduated high school in 1980, and as a second career, am helping HS students with their math. I just finished my 6th year of this, and have just one question about the change noted in the title. I recall Septagon, Octagon, Nonagon, Decagon,…
JTP - Apologise to Monica
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3
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1 answer

Origin of the smooth but nowhere real analytic function built with dyadic rationals

I found the following interesting function and its analysis at Non-analytic smooth function article in Wikipedia. I include a screen capture below for those who don't wish to navigate away: I could not find a clear reference in the article as to…
James S. Cook
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3
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1 answer

Reference Request: Books on the (general) History of Physics

Ideally, I would prefer not a book on a specific topic (like QM) but a general survey, analogous to A History of Mathematics by Carl Boyer. If such a work does not exist, can someone suggest works (multiple volumes if need be) which can satisfy my…
MathematicsStudent1122
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3
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Is there a modern equivalence of Asimov's book "The new intelligent man's guide to science"?

I enjoyed Asimov's "The new intelligent man's guide to science" very much when I was a teenager. I noticed that he later published "Asimov's New Guide to Science", however that was also nearly 40 years ago. My question is, are there more recent…
user14169
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