The Crest of the Peacock : : Non-European Roots of Mathematics - Third Edition / / George Gheverghese Joseph.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter Princeton University Press eBook-Package Backlist 2000-2013
• VerfasserIn: Joseph, George Gheverghese,
• Place / Publishing House: Princeton, NJ : : Princeton University Press, , [2010]; ©2011
• Year of Publication: 2010
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (584 p.) :; 6 halftones. 164 line illus. 18 tables. 6 maps.

From the Ishango Bone of central Africa and the Inca quipu of South America to the dawn of modern mathematics, The Crest of the Peacock makes it clear that human beings everywhere have been capable of advanced and innovative mathematical thinking. George Gheverghese Joseph takes us on a breathtaking multicultural tour of the roots and shoots of non-European mathematics. He shows us the deep influence that the Egyptians and Babylonians had on the Greeks, the Arabs' major creative contributions, and the astounding range of successes of the great civilizations of India and China. The third edition emphasizes the dialogue between civilizations, and further explores how mathematical ideas were transmitted from East to West. The book's scope is now even wider, incorporating recent findings on the history of mathematics in China, India, and early Islamic civilizations as well as Egypt and Mesopotamia. With more detailed coverage of proto-mathematics and the origins of trigonometry and infinity in the East, The Crest of the Peacock further illuminates the global history of mathematics.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Preface to the Third Edition -- Preface to the First Edition -- Chapter One. The History of Mathematics: Alternative Perspectives -- Chapter Two. Mathematics from Bones, Strings, and Standing Stones -- Chapter Three. The Beginnings of Written Mathematics: Egypt -- Chapter Four. The Beginnings of Written Mathematics: Mesopotamia -- Chapter Five. Egyptian and Mesopotamian Mathematics: An Assessment -- Chapter Six. Ancient Chinese Mathematics -- Chapter Seven. Special Topics in Chinese Mathematics -- Chapter Eight. Ancient Indian Mathematics -- Chapter Nine. Indian Mathematics: The Classical Period and After -- Chapter Ten. A Passage to Infinity: The Kerala Episode -- Chapter Eleven. Prelude to Modern Mathematics: The Islamic Contribution -- References -- Name Index -- Subject Index