| Date | # | Topics | Quizzes and Assignments Due Dates | Presentations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M 8/28 | 1 | Beginnings of mathematics, info about the course | ||
| W 8/30 | 2 | Beginnings of mathematics, info about the course | HW0 Due Optional Reading: On the origin of numbers | |
| M 9/4 | No class | |||
| W 9/6 | 3 | Beginnings of mathematics /Number systems | Reading: Number systems | |
| M 9/11 | 4 | Number systems | HW1 due (Sources, beginnings) | |
| W 9/13 | 5 | Mathematics in Ancient Egypt | Reading : These notes from the beginning until Question 2 in Section 1.1.2. (Of course you are welcome to read them all...) | |
| M 9/18 | 6 | Mathematics in Ancient Egypt | HW2 due (Number systems) | |
| W 9/20 | 7 | Mathematics in Ancient Egypt /Mesopotamia | Reading: This text from the beginning to Section 1.5 Plimpton 322 (as usual, you are encouraged to read it all.) | |
| M 9/25 | 8 | Mathematics in Ancient Mesopotamia | Quiz 1 about Number systems | |
| W 9/27 | 9 | Mathematics in Ancient Mesopotamia | This text about Mayan mathematics. | |
| M 10/2 | 10 | Inca and Mayan Mathematics | HW3 due (Egypt and Mesopotamia) | Pascal and the problem of points (Adam). Astronomical math (Aixa) |
| W 10/4 | 11 | The earliest Hellenic mathematics | Annotated bibliography due (see here.) Reading: The first two pages of this paper. |
Thales and the Height of the great pyramid of Giza (Dylan). Zeno’s arguments and the Development of the Theory of Limits (Jingyi) |
| M 10/9 | No class - Fall break | |||
| W 10/11 | 12 | The earliest Hellenic mathematics | Abstract and outline of the paper due | History of Platonic solids (Jade). Historical Stages in the Definition of Curves (Bryant) |
| M 10/16 | 13 | The earliest Hellenic mathematics | Quiz 2 about Mathematics in Egypt | Fermat's Method of Finding Areas under Graphs (Jim). Fermat on Number Theory (Alex) |
| W 10/18 | 14 | Hellenic mathematics: Euclid's Elements - Number theory | Reading: This article about the diagrams on Euclid's Elements. | History of the Euclidean Steiner tree problem (Thaw). History of the number e (Kayla) |
| M 10/23 | 15 | Hellenic mathematics: Euclid's Elements - Axiom Systems | Quiz 3 about Mathematics in Mesopotamia | Gauss and the Discovery of Ceres (Joe). How Kepler Discovered the Elliptical Orbit (Willian/Thiha) |
| W 10/25 | 16 | Hellenic mathematics: Euclid's Elements - Axiom Systems | Baby Draft of paper (500 words) | Some Historical Notes on the Cycloid (Anna). Archimedes and the quadrature of the parabola (Claire) |
| M 10/30 | 17 | Hellenic mathematics: Archimedes | HW4 due (Euclid's Elements) | Euler and the bridges of Konigsberg (Kristine). Euler's Contribution to Number Theory (Celina) |
| W 11/1 | 18 | Hellenic mathematics: Apollonius, Erathostenes, Ptolemy, Diophantus | History of the binomial theorem (Vanney). Japanese Temple Geometry (John) |
|
| M 11/6 | 19 | Ancient and Medieval Chinese Mathematics | Quiz 4 about Euclid's Elements. Draft of paper (1000 words) |
Right-Angled Triangles in Ancient China (Mira). History of matrices and determinants (Gabriela) |
| W 11/8 | 20 | Ancient and Medieval Chinese Mathematics | History of Fermat last Theorem (Martin). Sophie Germain of Fermat number theory (Ivon) |
|
| M 11/13 | 21 | Ancient and Medieval Indian Mathematics | HW5 due | The Lengths of Curves (Kassidy). Ancient Indian methods for computing square roots (Jungwan) |
| W 11/15 | 22 | Mathematics in the Islamic World - Indian Mathematics | Ideas of calculus in the Islamic word (Jacky). Ideas of calculus in India (Jingdong) |
|
| M 11/20 | 23 | Mathematics in the Islamic World | Paper due | Cauchy and the Origins of Rigorous Calculus. (Hakob) Squaring the circle (Abrar) |
| W 11/22 | No class - Thanksgiving | |||
| M 11/27 | 24 | Mathematics in the Renaissance | HW6 due Review | Viète, Descartes and the Cubic Equation (Weiguo) |
| W 11/29 | 25 | Mathematics in the Renaissance | ||
| M 12/4 | 26 | Calculus | Quiz 5: Review | |
| W 12/6 | 27 | Selected topics | ||
| M 12/11 | 28 | Review |