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History of Mathematics - GENS2005
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Faculty: Faculty of Science
 
 
School:  School of Mathematics and Statistics
 
 
Course Outline: http://www.maths.unsw.edu.au/
 
 
Campus: Kensington Campus
 
 
Career: Undergraduate
 
 
Units of Credit: 3
 
 
EFTSL: 0.06250 (more info)
 
 
Indicative Contact Hours per Week: 2
 
 
Enrolment Requirements:
 
 
Prerequisite: Any Level 1 Mathematics course or ECON1202 or ECON1203
 
 
Excluded: MATH3560
 
 
CSS Contribution Charge:Band 1 (more info)
 
 
Tuition Fee:See Tuition Fee Schedule
 
 
Further Information: See Class Timetable
 
 
Available for General Education: Yes (more info)
 
 

Description

Topics from: Classifications of mathematics, ancient and modern; Counting, navigation and measurement in pre-literate societies; Babylonian mathematics on calculating lengths and areas; The 'Greek miracle': round earth, logic, Pythagoras' 'All is number'; Hippocrates of Chios on areas of lunes: proof; Euclid on axioms, on idea of deductive structure; Ptolemy's geocentric astronomy; Ancient Chinese simultaneous linear equations; 16th C solution of cubic equations; Copernicus' heliocentric astronomy; 17th C mathematical laws: Galileo, Kepler, Snell, Hooke, Boyle; development of calculus: Topology: Euler on the bridges of Konigsberg; Statistical inference, 'average man', Galton and correlation; Abstract set theory; Formal (symbolic) logic in 19-20th C, and its role in computing software; Operations research, e.g., stock-cutting and hunting submarines; Chaos, fractals and self-organisation; Social context of mathematics.

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