Seeking a Language in Mathematics 1523-1571
The article discusses the evolution of mathematical language in England from 1523 to 1571. It highlights the transition from Latin to English in mathematical publications and the impact of this shift on the Scientific Revolution. The development of mathematical symbols and notation is also emphasized as a significant aspect of this period.
- ▪Cuthbert Tunstall published the first book on mathematics conceived and printed in England in 1523.
- ▪By 1571, the use of English in mathematical publications had become established alongside Latin.
- ▪The period marked the beginning of the Scientific Revolution, during which mathematics became a distinguishing discipline.
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Seeking a Language in Mathematics 1523-1571 Bruce Marsden ScopeCuthbert Tunstall, later Bishop of London and then Durham, published the first book on mathematics conceived and printed in England in 1523; it was a commercial arithmetic written in Latin. By the time of Thomas Digges's publication of his book on geometry in 1571, the use of English in mathematical publications and the practical arts' had become established, but not entirely to the exclusion of Latin. There is a parallel, which may be aetiological, between the growth of the use of vernacular languages and the striking surge of mathematics in science in western Europe culminating during the seventeenth century in the works of Descartes, Galilei, Huygens and, particularly, Newton.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Tyndale.
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