Article ID: CBB001022147

The Ovals in the “Excerpta Mathematica” and the Origins of Descartes' Method of Normals (2010)

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Maronne, Sébastien (Author)


Historia Mathematica
Volume: 37
Pages: 460--484
Publication date: 2010
Language: English


Publication Date: 2010
Edition Details: Part of a special issue, “Contexts, Emergence and Issues of Cartesian Geometry”

The only occurrence of Descartes' method of normals before La Géométrie (1637) is to be found in the Excerpta Mathematica. These mathematical fragments, published posthumously among others works in 1701, and dated by Tannery before 1629, deal with curves used in dioptrics which Descartes called ovals. I study in detail two of the texts on ovals together with the related texts in La Géométrie in order to shed light on the geometrical origins of Descartes' method of normals.

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Article Maronne, Sébastien (2010) Contexts, Emergence and Issues of Cartesian Geometry: In Honour of Henk Bos's 70th Birthday. Historia Mathematica (p. 341). unapi

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Authors & Contributors
Domski, Mary
Maronne, Sébastien
Arana, Andrew
Belgioioso, Giulia
Biener, Zvi
Bockstaele, Paul P.
Journals
Archive for History of Exact Sciences
Historia Mathematica
Studies in History and Philosophy of Science
Archives Internationales d'Histoire des Sciences
Early Science and Medicine: A Journal for the Study of Science, Technology and Medicine in the Pre-modern Period
Historia Scientiarum: International Journal of the History of Science Society of Japan
Publishers
University of Pittsburgh
Boston University
The Catholic University of America
Concepts
Geometry
Mathematics
Philosophy
Optics
Mathematics and its relationship to science
Physics
People
Descartes, René
Pascal, Blaise
Fermat, Pierre de
Arnauld, Antoine
Balzac, Jean-Louis Guez, seigneur de
Galilei, Galileo
Time Periods
17th century
16th century
Renaissance
18th century
20th century
Places
France
England
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