• Journal for History of Mathematics
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.33-44
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• 2007

This paper examines a historical case- the French Revolution- of conceptual change in mathematics. The case that is a space of possibility gave birth to a new community of mathematical practitioners. Carnot and Monge shared the particular conceptions of the problems, aims, and methods of a field and contributed to found Ecole Polytechnique. I intend to show how Carnot's and Monge's mathematical endeavours responded to social, political and technological developments in French society.