MM859: History of Mathematics
Comment
Entry requirements
Academic preconditions
Students taking the course are expected to have knowledge of basic concepts within core areas of mathematics such as elementary geometry and concepts such as continuity, limit, differentiability, infinite series from mathematical analysis.
Furthermore it presupposes that the student is able to by him/herself read mathematical texts at BA-level.
Course introduction
- To give the student an overview of the
history of mathematics from ancient Civilizations to the 20th century.
The course gives a more detailed insight to the following subjects:
history of equations; the development of calculus; Euclidean and
non-Euclidean geometry.
course builds on the knowledge acquired in the Bachelor in mathematics,
in particular the basic courses (calculus, algebra, mathematical
analysis and mathematical methods) placed in the first year, that are
also part of the minor in mathematics. The course gives the
prerequisites to write a master thesis in the history of mathematics.
Together with e.g. NAT805 it provides the student with the skills to
prepare material for teaching the history of mathematics in high school.
In relation to the competence profile of the degree it is the explicit focus of the course to:
- Give the competence to produce material for teaching history of mathematics in the Danish high school.
- Provide knowledge of the development of mathematics through times.
Expected learning outcome
The learning objectives of the course are that the student demonstrates the ability to:
- select and present relevant parts of the syllabus
- place a piece of mathematics in an internal and external historical context
- present certain methods that were used by previous mathematicians
- analyse and present historical source material
Content
The following main topics are contained in the course: Numbers, magnitudes and real numbers. Greek geometry. History of equations. Pre -history of Calculus. The invention of Calculus: Newton and Leibniz. 18th- and 19th- Century Analysis. Non-Euclidean geometry. Aspects of Ninetieth and Twentieth Century mathematics.
Literature
Examination regulations
Exam element a)
Timing
January
Tests
Oral exam
EKA
Assessment
Grading
Identification
Language
Examination aids
ECTS value
Additional information
Reexamination in the same exam period or immediately thereafter.
Indicative number of lessons
Teaching Method
At the faculty of science, teaching is organized after the three-phase model ie. intro, training and study phase.
In order to enable students to achieve the learning objectives for the course, the teaching is organised in such a way that there are 64 lectures, class lessons, etc. on a semester.
These teaching activities are reflected in an estimated allocation of the workload of an average student as follows:
- Intro phase (lectures, class lessons) - 24 hours
- Training phase: 20 hours
Activities during the study phase:
- To study the course material and prepare weekly excercises indiviually or in groups.