• Journal for History of Mathematics
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.101-110
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• 2014

Joseon is mainly an agricultural country and its main source of national revenue is the farmland tax. Since the beginning of the Joseon dynasty, the assessment and taxation of agricultural land became one of the most important subjects in the national administration. Consequently, the measurement of fields, or the area of various plane figures and curved surfaces is a very much important topic for mathematical officials. Consequently Joseon mathematicians were concerned about the volumes of solids more for those of granaries than those of earthworks. The area and volume together with surveying have been main geometrical subjects in Joseon mathematics as well. In this paper we discuss the history of volumes of solids in Joseon mathematics and the influences of Chinese mathematics on the subject.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.103-116
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• 2011

'The nine chapters on the mathematical art' has dominated the history of Chinese mathematics. It contains 246 problems and their solutions, which fall into nine categories that are firmly based on practical needs. But it has been greatly by improved by the commentary given Liu Hui and it was transformed from arithmetic text to mathematics. The improved book served as important textbook in China but also the East Asian countries for the past 2000 years. Also It is comparable in significance to Euclid's Elements in the West. In the middle of 19th century, Chosun mathematicians Nam Byung Gil(南秉吉) and Lee Sang Hyuk(李尙爀) studied mathematical structures developed in Song(宋) and Yuan(元) eras on top of their early on 'The nine chapters' and 'ShuLiJingYun(數理精蘊)'. Their studies gave rise to a momentum for a prominent development of Choson mathematics in the century. Nam Byung Gil is also commentator on 'The Nine Chapters'. His commentary is 'GuJangSulHae(九章術解)'. This book provides figures and explanations of how the algorithms work. These are very helpful for prospective elementary teachers. We try to plan programs of elementary teacher education on the basis of 'The Nine Chapters' and 'GuJangSulHae'.