Calculus a Historical Approach

This book is for students being introduced to calculus, and it covers the usual topics, but its spirit is different from wh at might be expected. Though the approach is basically historical in nature, emphasis is put upon ideas and their place-not upon events and their dates. Its purpose is to have students to learn calculus first, and to learn incidentally something about the nature of mathematics. Somewhat to the surprise of its author, the book soon became animated by a spirit of opposition to the darkness that separates the sciences from the humanities. To fight the speil of that darkness anything at hand is used, even a few low tricks or bad jokes that seemed to offer a slight promise of success.

This book is for students being introduced to calculus, and it covers the usual topics, but its spirit is different from wh at might be expected. Though the approach is basically historical in nature, emphasis is put upon ideas and their place-not upon events and their dates. Its purpose is to have students to learn calculus first, and to learn incidentally something about the nature of mathematics. Somewhat to the surprise of its author, the book soon became animated by a spirit of opposition to the darkness that separates the sciences from the humanities.

This book presents first-year calculus roughly in the order in which it first was discovered. The first two chapters show how the ancient calculations of practical problems led to infinite series, differential and integral calculus and to differential equations. The establishment of mathematical rigour for these subjects in the 19th century for one and several variables is treated in chapters III and IV. The text is complemented by a large number of examples, calculations and mathematical pictures and will provide stimulating and enjoyable reading for students, teachers, as well as researchers.