• Journal for History of Mathematics
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.1-18
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• 2007

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 studies on Jiu zhang suan shu(九章算術) and Shu li jing yun(數理精蘊). Their studies gave rise to a momentum for a prominent development of Chosun mathematics in the century. In this paper, we investigate Nam Byung Gil's JipGoYunDan(輯古演段) and MuIHae(無異解) and then study his theory of equations. Through a collaboration with Lee, Sang Hyuk, he consolidated the eastern and western structure of theory of equations.

• Journal for History of Mathematics
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.1-21
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• 2007

We investigate the Gou Gu Shu(句股術) in Hong Jung Ha's Gu Il Jib(九一集) and Cho Tae Gu's Ju Su Gwan Gyun(籌書管見) published in the early 18th century. Using a structural approach and Tien Yuan Shu(天元術), Hong has obtained the most advanced results on the subject in Asia. Using Cho's result influenced by the western mathematics introduced in the middle of the 17th century, we study a process of a theoretical approach in Chosun mathematics in the period.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.149-177
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• 2017

Since modern mathematics textbooks were introduced in the late 19th century Korea, arithmetic experts started to teach modern mathematics using Arabic numerals at village schools and churches. After the Gabo Education Reform of 1894, western mathematics education was included in public education and the mathematics textbooks began to be officially published. We explored most of Korean mathematics textbooks from 1895 to 2016 including the changes of mathematics curriculum through 1885-1905, 1905-1910, 1911-1945, 1945-1948, 1948-1953, 1954-1999, and 2000-2016. This study presents the characters of modern mathematics textbooks of Korea since 1885.

• Journal for History of Mathematics
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.1-15
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• 2011

Approximation is a very useful approach in mathematics research. It was the same in traditional Chinese and Chosun mathematics. This study derived five characteristics from approximation approaches which were found in Chinese and Chosun mathematical books: improvement of approximate values, common and inevitable use of approximate values, recognition of approximate values and their reasons, comparison of their exactness, application of approximate principles. Through these characteristics, we can infer what Chinese and Chosun mathematicians recognized approximate values and how they manipulated them. They took approximate approaches by necessity or for the sake of convenience in mathematical study and its applications. Also, they tried to improve the degree of exactness of approximate values and use the inverse calculations to check them.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.341-360
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• 2011

This paper deals with contents that Sang-Seol Lee contributed to the natural science in the 19th century Korea. Prof. Sung-Rae Park, the science historian, called Sang-Seol Lee Father of the Modern Mathematics education of Korea. Sang-Seol Lee wrote a manuscript Botany with a brush in late 19th century. Botany was transcribed from Science Primers: Botany (written by J. D. Hooker), which is translated into Chinese by Joseph Edkins in 1886. The existence of Sang-Seol Lee's book Botany was not known to Korean scientists before. In this paper, we study the contents of Botany and its original text. Also we analyze people's level of understanding Western sciences, especially botany at that time. In addition, we study authors of 16 Primers jar Western Knowledge. We study the contribution of mathematician Sang-Seol Lee to science education in the 19th century Korea.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.977-998
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• 2009

In this article, we give a comparative study on the last 300 years of USA and Korean tertiary mathematics. The first mathematics classes in United States were offered before July, 1638, but the real founding of tertiary mathematics courses was in 1640 when Henry Dunster assumed the duties of the presidency at Harvard. President Dunster read arithmetics and geometry on Mondays and Tuesdays to the third year students during the first three quarters, and astronomy in the last quarter. So tertiary mathematics education in United States began at Harvard which is the oldest college in USA. After 230 years since then, Benjamin Peirce in 1870 made a major and first American contribution to mathematics and got an attention from European mathematicians. Major change on the role of Harvard mathematics from teaching to research made by G.D. Birkhoff when he joined as an assistant professor in 1912. Tertiary mathematics education in Korea started long before Chosun Dynasty. But it was given to only small number of government actuarial officers. Modern mathematics education of tertiary level in Korea was given at Sungkyunkwan, Ewha, Paichai, and Soongsil. But all college level education opportunity, particularly in mathematics, was taken over by colonial government after 1920. And some technical and normal schools offered some tertiary mathematics courses. There was no college mathematics department in Korea until 1945. After the World War II, the first college mathematics department was established, and Rimhak Ree in 1949 made a major and first Korean contribution to modern mathematics, and later found Ree group. He got an attention from western mathematicians for the first time as a Korean. It can be compared with Benjamin Peirce's contribution for USA.