MATH 3560: History of Mathematics (UNSW): Lecture 14

MATH 3560 - History of Mathematics

MATH 3560: History of Mathematics (UNSW). Taught by Professor N. J. Wildberger, this course provides an overview of the history of mathematics, in 17 lectures; meant for a broad audience, not necessarily mathematics majors. Starting with Greek mathematics, Professor N. J. Wildberger discusses Hindu, Chinese and Arabic influences on algebra; the development of coordinate geometry, calculus and mechanics; the course of geometry from projective to non-Euclidean in the 19th century; complex numbers and algebra; differential geometry; and topology. This course roughly follows John Stillwell's book 'Mathematics and its History' (Springer, 3rd ed).

Lecture 14 - Mechanics and Curves

The laws of motion as set out by Newton built upon work of Oresme, Galileo and others on dynamics, and the relations between distance, velocity and acceleration in trajectories. With Newton's laws and the calculus, a whole new arena of practical and theoretical investigations opened up to 17th and 18th century mathematicians, such as the Bernoulli family (Johann, Jacob, Daniel, Nicholas, etc), Euler, Huygens and others.

Go to the Course Home or watch other lectures:

Lecture 1a - Pythagoras' Theorem

Lecture 1b - Pythagoras' Theorem (cont.)

Lecture 2a - Greek Geometry

Lecture 2b - Greek Geometry (cont.)

Lecture 3a - Greek Number Theory

Lecture 3b - Greek Number Theory (cont.)

Lecture 04 - Infinity in Greek Mathematics

Lecture 5a - Number Theory and Algebra in Asia

Lecture 5b - Number Theory and Algebra in Asia (cont.)

Lecture 6a - Polynomial Equations

Lecture 6b - Polynomial Equations (cont.)