• Journal for History of Mathematics
• /
• v.33 no.1
• /
• pp.1-19
• /
• 2020

Under 2009 Revised Mathematics Curriculum and 2015 Revised Mathematics Curriculum, mathematics teachers can help students inductively express real life problems related to sequences but have difficulties in dealing with problems asking the general terms of the sequences defined inductively due to 'Guidelines for Teaching and Learning'. Because most of textbooks mainly deal with the simple calculation for the sums of sequences, students tend to follow them rather than developing their inductive and deductive reasoning through finding patterns in the sequences. In this study, we reconstruct 8 problems to find the sums of sequences in MukSaJipSanBup which is known as one of the oldest mathematics book of Chosun Dynasty, using the terminology and symbols of the current curriculum. Such kind of problems can be given in textbooks and used for teaching and learning. Using problems in mathematical books of Chosun Dynasty with suitable modifications for teaching and learning is a good method which not only help students feel the usefulness of mathematics but also learn the cultural value of our traditional mathematics and have the pride for it.

• Journal for History of Mathematics
• /
• v.22 no.3
• /
• pp.79-102
• /
• 2009

Most who have heard of Sang-Seol Lee know him for his contribution to the Korean independence movement nearly a hundred years ago. This paper, however, will discuss Lee's other great contribution to his country; that of being "The father of modern mathematical education in Korea". Lee passed the rigorous government officer examination with the highest honor and became a teacher for the royal prince. Later he became the president of Sunkyunkwan, a national institute of higher learning since 1398, and eventually a well-known university bearing the same name. Lee was also a highly regarded Confucian scholar and well versed in foreign languages. He wanted Korea to become a modern country and felt that the areas of science and engineering were studies that needed improving in order to achieve modernization. While researching Western textbooks on the subjects he realized that Western mathematics would be especially important for Korea. With that, it became his mission to integrate Western mathematics into the Korean educational system. This paper will explain the importance of Sang-Seol Lee's contributions to mathematic education in Korea and how it helped Korea become the modern nation it is today.

• Journal for History of Mathematics
• /
• v.18 no.1
• /
• pp.1-10
• /
• 2005

Sea Mirror, reflecting the heaven of the circles circumscribed or inscribed, by Li Zhi of Yuan Dynasy(1271-1368) was resolved by Li Rui(1773-1817) and added by the new four rules not solved. In the Chosun Dynasty, Nam Byung Churl resolved the problems of the Sea Mirror of the circle measurement and the preface was written by his younger brother Nam Byung Gil(1820-1869). In this paper, the concepts of the problems in the Sea Mirror and its three problems will be introduced.

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

• Journal for History of Mathematics
• /
• v.2 no.1
• /
• pp.91-105
• /
• 1985

Though the tradition of Korean mathematics since the ancient time up to the "Enlightenment Period" in the late 19th century had been under the influence of the Chinese mathematics, it strove to develop its own independent of Chinese. However, the fact that it couldn't succeed to form the independent Korean mathematics in spite of many chances under the reign of Kings Sejong, Youngjo, and Joungjo was mainly due to the use of Chinese characters by Koreans. Han-gul (Korean characters) invented by King Sejong had not been used widely as it was called and despised Un-mun and Koreans still used Chinese characters as the only "true letters" (Jin-suh). The correlation between characters and culture was such that , if Koreans used Han-gul as their official letters, we may have different picture of Korean mathematics. It is quite interesting to note that the mathematics in the "Enlightenment Period" changed rather smoothly into the Western mathematics at the time when Han-gul was used officially with Chinese characters. In Koryo, the mathematics existed only as a part of the Confucian refinement, not as the object of sincere study. The mathematics in Koryo inherited that of the Unified Shilla without any remarkable development of its own, and the mathematicians were the Inner Officials isolated from the outside world who maintained their positions as specialists amid the turbulence of political changes. They formed a kind of Guild, their posts becoming patrimony. The mathematics in Koryo is significant in that they paved the way for that of Chosun through a few books of mathematics such as "Sanhak-Kyemong, "Yanghwi - Sanpup" and "Sangmyung-Sanpup." King Sejong was quite phenomenal in his policy of promotion of mathematics. King himself was deeply interested in the study, createing an atmosphere in which all the high ranking officials and scholars highly valued mathematics. The sudden development of mathematic culture was mainly due to the personality and capacity of King who took any one with the mathematic talent onto government service regardless of his birth and against the strong opposition of the conservative officials. However, King's view of mathematics never resulted in the true development of mathematics per se and he used it only as an official technique in the tradition way. Korean mathematics in King Sejong's reign was based upon both the natural philosophy in China and the unique geo-political reality of Korean peninsula. The reason why the mathematic culture failed to develop continually against those social background was that the mathematicians were not allowed to play the vital role in that culture, they being only the instrument for the personality or politics of the King. While the learned scholar class sometimes played the important role for the development of the mathematic culture, they often as not became an adamant barrier to it. As the society in Chosun needed the function of mathematics acutely, the mathematicians formed the settled class called Jung-in (Middle-Man). Jung-in was a unique class in Chosun and we can't find its equivalent in China of Japan. These Jung-in mathematician officials lacked tendency to publish their study, since their society was strictly exclusive and their knowledge was very limited. Though they were relatively low class, these mathematicians played very important role in Chosun society. In "Sil-Hak (the Practical Learning) period" which began in the late 16th century, especially in the reigns of King Youngjo and Jungjo, which was called the Renaissance of Chosun, the ambitious policy for the development of science and technology called for the rapid increase of the number of such technocrats as mathematicians inevitably became quite ambitious and proud. They tried to explore deeply into mathematics per se beyond the narrow limit of knowledge required for their office. Thus, in this period the mathematics developed rapidly, undergoing very important changes. The characteristic features of the mathematics in this period were: Jung-in mathematicians' active study an publication, the mathematic studies by the renowned scholars of Sil-Hak, joint works by these two classes, their approach to the Western mathematics and their effort to develop Korean mathematics. Toward the "Enlightenment Period" in the late 19th century, the Western mathematics experienced great difficulty to take its roots in the Peninsula which had been under the strong influence of Confucian ideology and traditional Korean mathematic system. However, with King Kojong's ordinance in 1895, the traditonal Korean mathematics influenced by Chinese disappeared from the history of Korean mathematics, as the school system was changed into the Western style and the Western matehmatics was adopted as the only mathematics to be taught at the schools of various levels. Thus the "Enlightenment Period" is the period in which Korean mathematics sifted from Chinese into European.od" is the period in which Korean mathematics sifted from Chinese into European.pean.

• The Journal of Korean Philosophical History
• /
• no.32
• /
• pp.185-213
• /
• 2011

This thesis is studing Kim Chi-in's Life and Confucianism-Buddhism-Taoism-Unity of Namhak lind on Jinan in Junbuk. He combined thought of Confucianism-Buddhism-Taoism and drawed up religious doctrine, after spotting internal and external troubles of nation. Kim Chi-in was influenced by Lee Un-gyu's thought of Confucianism-Buddhism-Taoism-Unity. He spoke with emphasis of Tao in doctrine through religious experience. The root of Tao originates in heaven. Although Tao was divided according to Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism for the human's aspect of thought, it is ultimately the one. In time on explaining the one, he invoked 'eum(陰)', 'yang(陽)', 'che(體)'와 'yong(用)' as concepts of Neo-Confucianism. This ididn't incline to one side of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. While he spoke with emphasis on Confucianism's ethics of 'yang' and 'yong' with Buddhism and Taoism's divine of 'eum' and 'che' as the center, he want to find pivot of thought. He especially seeked Younggamu(詠歌舞) of sing and dancing on training mind and body. This was that he let the people and scholars in retirement demand realization of Tao and aim at real virtue. The study of Kim Chi-in's thought and religion of Confucianism-Buddhism-Taoism-Unity will be an opportunity look around his identity for the traditional native thought and universality.