The Crest of the Peacock: Non-European Roots of Mathematics

Examines the early developments and uses of mathematics in such places as Egypt, Mesopotamia, China, and India

The Crest of the Peacock: Non-European Roots of Mathematics (Penguin Mathematics)

History

Joseph, George Gheverghese

Historical Study & Educational Resources

Penguin??Books

The history of mathematics is one of creation and discovery in many parts of the world, and yet few people realize that Pythagoras' Theorem was known to the Babylonians a thousand years before the Greeks. Similarly, Pascal's Triangle of 1645 was actually used in practical ways much earlier in China. Indeed, there is a rich field of African, Middle Eastern, and Asian mathematics that is often ignored in the teaching of the subject. Mathematics, then, is an international language and field of study that knows no barriers between race, culture, or creed. How can we exploit this rich heritage not only to improve the teaching of mathematics, but to prepare our children for life in a multicultural society? This pioneering book is the first to explore ways of helping schoolchildren understand the universality of mathematics, and at the same time making it a more enjoyable, relevant, and rewarding enterprise. Multicultural Mathematics brings together the experience of three well-known teachers and researchers who offer suggestions and guidance for an important new approach to education. Written for parents, teachers, and administrators, and with technical mathematics kept to a minimum, this book discusses the theories behind multicultural mathematics, shows how this method can be applied within the core of any elementary curriculum, and explores the educational and social benefits of this new approach to teaching mathematics.

Multicultural Mathematics

Literature & Fiction

NELSON, DAVID

Williams, Julian

Classics

Oxford University Press

From the Ishango Bone of central Africa and the Inca quipu of South America to the dawn of modern mathematics, The Crest of the Peacock makes it clear that human beings everywhere have been capable of advanced and innovative mathematical thinking. George Gheverghese Joseph takes us on a breathtaking multicultural tour of the roots and shoots of non-European mathematics. He shows us the deep influence the Egyptians and Babylonians had on the Greeks; the Arabs' major creative contributions; and the astounding range of successes of the great civilizations of India and China. This challenging and erudite book questions familiar assumptions and enlarges our sense of what we mean by mathematics.

Science & Math

Mathematics

Princeton University Press

From the Ishango Bone of central Africa and the Inca quipu of South America to the dawn of modern mathematics, The Crest of the Peacock makes it clear that human beings everywhere have been capable of advanced and innovative mathematical thinking. George Gheverghese Joseph takes us on a breathtaking multicultural tour of the roots and shoots of non-European mathematics. He shows us the deep influence that the Egyptians and Babylonians had on the Greeks, the Arabs' major creative contributions, and the astounding range of successes of the great civilizations of India and China.
 The third edition emphasizes the dialogue between civilizations, and further explores how mathematical ideas were transmitted from East to West. The book's scope is now even wider, incorporating recent findings on the history of mathematics in China, India, and early Islamic civilizations as well as Egypt and Mesopotamia. With more detailed coverage of proto-mathematics and the origins of trigonometry and infinity in the East, The Crest of the Peacock further illuminates the global history of mathematics.

The Crest of the Peacock: Non-European Roots of Mathematics - Third Edition

History & Philosophy

"This is a pioneering project in the history of Indian mathematics." Dr Arun Bala author of The Dialogue of Civilizations in the Birth of Modern Science "This is an accessible introduction to the history of Indian mathematics written in at a level appropriate for undergraduate mathematics students. The book is very useful. It is on my bookshelf as a primary reference for teaching the section on India in my course on the history of mathematics." Maa Reviews Indian Mathematics gives a unique insight into the history of mathematics within a historical global context. It builds on research into the connection between mathematics and the world-wide advancement of economics and technology. Joseph draws out parallel developments in other cultures and carefully examines the transmission of mathematical ideas across geographical and cultural borders. Accessible to those who have an interest in the global history of mathematical ideas, for the historians, philosophers and sociologists of mathematics, it is a book not to be missed.

Indian Mathematics: Engaging With The World From Ancient To Modern Times

Asia

WSPC (EUROPE)

On life and times of George Joseph, 1887-1938, a syrian Christian nationalist from Kerala.

George Joseph: The Life and Times of a Kerala Christian Nationalist

Orient Longman

This book traces the first faltering steps taken in the mathematical theorization of infinity which marks the emergence of modern mathematics. It analyzes the part played by Indian mathematics through the Kerala conduit, which is an important but neglected part of the history of mathematics.

A Passage to Infinity: Medieval Indian Mathematics from Kerala and Its Impact

Europe

SAGE Publications Pvt. Ltd

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Books by Joseph, George Gheverghese