A.

Course Details

COURSE CODE Ed. Math 1

COURSE NAME History of Mathematics
COURSE DESCRIPTION This course presents the humanistic aspects of mathematics which provides the
historical context and timeline that lead to the present understanding and
applications of the different branches of mathematics topics included in this
course are not very technical and rigid aspects of mathematics; rather they are
early, interesting and light developments of the field. They are intended to
enrich the background of the students in the hope that the students find value
and inspiration the historical approach to the mathematical concepts.
NUMBER OF UNITS 3 units (Lec.)
PREREQUISITE NONE

B. Course Outcomes
At the end of this course, the students should be able to:
1. Apply what they learned about the history of number systems, and measurements, history in trigonometric
functions including geometry and statistics, and the concepts of analytic and solid geometry, probability, the
different mathematicians and their contributions to present day mathematics.
2. Appreciate the importance of the ancient numeration system, the different mathematics and their
contributions.
3. Solve problems by applying the different ancient numeration system
C. Course Outline

WEEK TOPICS
1-2 The Psychology of Mathematics
1. Mathematical Creativity
2. Number of Archetype
3-4 Early Number System
1. Pre-History and Quipus
2. Egyptian Hieratic and Greek numeration
3. Babylonian Cuneiform
5-6 Mathematics in Early Civilizations
1. Rhind Papyrus
2. Egyptian Arithmetic
3. Egyptian Geometry
4. Plimpton 322 and Babylonian Mathematics
7-8 Early Greek Mathematics
1. Greek Numerals
2. Thales
3. Phythagoras
4. The Phythagoreans
9-12 Alexandrian Mathematics
1. Euclid and Euclid’s Elements
1.1. Basic plane geometry through the Phythagorean Theorem
1.2. Geometric algebra and related constructions
 1.3. Intermediate plane geometry and the study of circles
1.4. Constructions of regular polygons
1.5. The theory of ratio and proportions of magnitudes
1.6. Similar plane figures
1.7. Number theory
1.8. The theory of irrational magnitudes
1.9. Solid geometry, the method of exhaustion, constructionsof regular
polyhedra
2. Plato
3. Erastosthenes
4. Archimedes
4.1. The law of lever, approximation of pi, sums of series
4.2. Rational approximations of irrationals
13-15 Mathematical methods in Hellenistic times
1. Astronomy before Ptolemy, Cosmology and astronomy
2. Early trigonometry, history of trigonometry
3. Ptolemy and the Almagest
4. Practical mathematics, Heron, Ptolemy’s geography
16-18 The Mechanical World
1. Galileo, Napier, Kepler
2. Descartes
3. Newton
4. Leibniz

D. Suggested Teaching Strategies

 Lectures, Forum, Class discussion, Group sharing, Oral reports
E. Suggested Assessment/Evaluation
 Quizzes, Performance task, long exams, major exam
F. References
 Merzbach, U.C. and Boyer, C.B.(2011). History of Mathematics, 3 rd Ed. Canada: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.