LibGuides: History of Mathematics: Getting Started

Getting Started

WELCOME TO THE LIBRARY RESOURCE GUIDE FOR THE EVOLUTION OF MATHEMATICS!

Mathematics is the foundation and language of origin for a majority of the developments in science, technology, medicine, economics, architecture, and everyday life of the human species. To engage this language (languages), its methods, and ways of thinking and investigating our world is a fascinating and stimulating endeavor! Mathematics is an intriguing and effective human practice, a core skill to develop and understand, and often a beautiful human achievement as well!

This guide will provide you with valuable and reliable resources available to you through WSU Libraries and the internet as you begin to delve into the strategies, purposes, wonders and effects of the history of mathematics!

To begin, within the field of mathematics - follow your bliss! As you encounter theorems and world-changing equations and formulas, as well as the people who figure them - pay attention to what interests you or makes you curious, things you comprehend easily as well as aspects that seem difficult to you. Explore, dig in and follow up on those figures, figures and figurings that you respond to the most - this goes a long way toward making research pleasurable and tends to make your work more interesting to others as well!

You may also want to look at the Mathematics & Statistics Subject Guide for expanded resources and more books on mathematical meanings:

Mathematics & Statistics
by Nathan Filbert Last Updated Jan 2, 2024 299 views this year

Archimedes

Research, obviously, begins by searching and continues through re-searching, exploring further, deeper and (hopefully) ever-more effectively and strategically as your knowledge grows in the area you are investigating. The following are some examples of books in the WSU Libraries that represent good resources for acquainting yourself with mathematics and mathematicians, developing keywords for further in-depth searching, and familiarizing yourself with the field and its history.

Find more in WSU Libraries ONLINE CATALOG and SmartSearch (make smart use of your limiters !)

Math Through the Ages (e-book) by William P. Berlinghoff; Fernando Q. Gouvea
Call Number: Electronic book
ISBN: 9780486838977
Publication Date: 2019-03-20
Journey Through Genius by William W. Dunham
Call Number: QA21 .D78 1990
ISBN: 0471500305
Publication Date: 1990-03-30
Dunham deftly guides the reader through the verbal and logical intricacies of major mathematical questions and proofs, conveying a splendid sense of how the greatest mathematicians from ancient to modern times presented their arguments."
A History of Mathematics by Carl B. Boyer
Call Number: QA21 .B767 1991
ISBN: 0471543977
Publication Date: 1991-03-20
Boyer and Merzbach distill thousands of years of mathematics into this fascinating chronicle. From the Greeks to Godel, the mathematics is brilliant; the cast of characters is distinguished; the ebb and flow of ideas is everywhere evident.
Logical methods : the art of thinking abstractly and mathematically by Antonsen, Roger
Call Number: Electronic book
ISBN: ‎303063776X
Publication Date: 2021
The Mathematics of the Gods and the Algorithms of Men by Paolo Zellini
ISBN: 9781643134154
Publication Date: 2020-05-05
A masterful cultural history of mathematics from bestselling Italian mathematician and philosopher Paolo Zellini. Is mathematics a discovery or an invention? Have we invented numbers or do they truly exist? What sort of reality should we attribute to them? Mathematics has always been a way of understanding and ordering the world: from sacred ancient texts and pre-Socratic philosophers to twentieth-century logicians such as Russell and Frege and beyond. In this masterful, elegant book, mathematician and philosopher Paolo Zellini offers a brief cultural and intellectual history of mathematics, from ancient Greece to India to our contemporary obsession with algorithms, showing how mathematical thinking is inextricably linked with philosophical, existential and religious questions--and indeed with our cosmic understanding of the world.
Mathematics in Historical Context by Jeff Suzuki
ISBN: 9780883855706
Publication Date: 2009-07-01
What would Newton see if he looked out his bedroom window? This book describes the world around the important mathematicians of the past, and explores the complex interaction between mathematics, mathematicians, and society.
The Universe in Zero Words by Dana Mackenzie
ISBN: 9780691152820
Publication Date: 2012-04-29
Significant Figures by Ian Stewart
Call Number: QA28 .S74 2017
ISBN: 9780465096121
Publication Date: 2017-09-12
Math and Mathematicians by Leonard C. Bruno; Lawrence W. Baker (Editor)
ISBN: 0787638129
Publication Date: 1999-07-23
This two-volume set compiles mathematician biographies and articles describing math concepts and principles in one encyclopaedic set.
Math Through the Ages by William P. Berlinghoff; Fernando Q. Gouvea
ISBN: 1881929213
Publication Date: 2002-08-01
Math Unlimited by R. Sujatha (Editor); H. N. Ramaswamy (Editor); C. S. Yogananda (Editor)
ISBN: 9781578087044
Publication Date: 2011-11-11
Highlighting the pervasive nature of mathematics today in a host of different areas, the book also covers the spread of mathematical ideas and techniques in areas ranging from computer science to physics to biology.
History of Mathematics by Victor J. Katz
ISBN: 0673380394
Publication Date: 1997-01-01
This text grew from the authors' conviction that both prospective school teachers and college teachers of maths need a background in history to be more effective as instructors in the classroom. Prospective instructors gain an appreciation of the contributions of all cultures, and this text explains how mathematics developed over the centuries. Also suitable for those studying maths and science at degree level.
A to Z of African Americans by Ray Spangenburg
ISBN: 9781438137698
Publication Date: 2011-01-01
A to Z of Women in Science and Math by Lisa Yount
ISBN: 0816066957
Publication Date: 2007-10-01
Latinos in Science, Math, and Professions by David E. Newton
ISBN: 0816063850
Publication Date: 2007-05-01

Utilizing the internet for reliable resources can be a very time-consuming chore (more on that under evaluation) but here are some online mathematics resources for gathering general information...

Wolfram MathWorld
MathWorld is the web's most extensive mathematical resource, provided as a free service to the world's mathematics and internet communities as part of a commitment to education and educational outreach by Wolfram Research, makers of Mathematica.
Famous Mathematicians
The Story of Mathematics
Not intended as a comprehensive and definitive guide to all of mathematics, but as an easy-to-use summary of the major mathematicians and the developments of mathematical thought over the centuries.
Biographies of Women Mathematicians
These pages are part of an on-going project at Agnes Scott College in Atlanta, Georgia, to illustrate the numerous achievements of women in the field of mathematics. Here you can find biographical essays or comments on the women mathematicians profiled on this site, as well as additional resources about women in mathematics.
American Mathematical Society
The AMS, founded in 1888 to further the interests of mathematical research and scholarship, serves the national and international community through its publications, meetings, advocacy and other programs.
Scholarpedia: Mathematics
the peer-reviewed open-access encyclopedia,
where knowledge is curated by communities of experts.
History of Mathematics Archive
Women in Math Biographies
This Web site is a collection of biographies of women mathematical scientists. Biographies have been combined from several extant Web sites. An icon associated to the site of origin for each sketch follows the name of the featured scientist. - University of Oregon
The ABC of Mathematics
With over 2000 terms defined, this dictionary is ideal for supporting students who are studying mathematics or related subjects. All terms in our dictionary are cross-referenced and linked for ease of use, making finding information quick and easy.
plus mathematics
Plus is an internet magazine which aims to introduce readers to the beauty and the practical applications of mathematics.
Wikepedia: Mathamatics Portal
The Mathematics WikiProject is the center for mathematics-related editing on Wikipedia.
Wolfram Alpha
Wolfram|Alpha's long-term goal is to make all systematic knowledge immediately computable and accessible to everyone.
EQ World: The World of Mathematical Equations
The EqWorld website is intended for researchers, university teachers, engineers, and students all over the world. It contains about 2000 webpages and is visited by over 3000 users a day (coming from 200 countries worldwide). All resources presented on this site are free to its users.

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Getting Started