• Journal for History of Mathematics
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.49-68
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• 2002

One of the characteristics of modem mathematics is to use algebra in every fields of mathematics. But we don't have the exact definition of algebra, and we can't clearly define algebraic thinking. In order to solve this problem, this paper investigate the history of algebra. First, we describe some of the features of proportional Babylonian thinking by analysing some problems. In chapter 4, we consider Greek's analytical method and proportional theory. And in chapter 5, we deal with Diophantus' algebraic method by giving an overview of Arithmetica. Finally we investigate Viete's thinking of algebra through his ‘the analytical art’. By investigating these history of algebra, we reach the following conclusions. 1. The origin of algebra comes from problem solving(various equations). 2. The origin of algebraic thinking is the proportional thinking and the analytical thinking. 3. The thing that plays an important role in transition from arithmetical thinking to algebraic thinking is Babylonian ‘the false value’ idea and Diophantus’ ‘arithmos’ concept.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.157-196
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• 2015

The purpose of this article is to discuss some of the most commonly repeated misconceptions on the history of mathematics described in the secondary school mathematics textbooks, and recommend that we should include mathematical transculture in the secondary school mathematics. School mathematical history described in the texts reflects the axial age, and deals with mathematical transculture from the ancient Greek into Europe excluding the ancient Egypt, Old Babylonia, and Islamic mathematics. We discuss about them through out the secondary school textbooks and give some alternatives for the historical problems.

• Journal for History of Mathematics
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.23-48
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• 2007

This study begins from posing a problem, 'formal introduction of mathematical induction in school mathematics'. Most students may learn the mathematical induction at the level of instrumental understanding without meaningful understanding about its meaning and structure. To improve this didactical situation, we research on the historical progress of mathematical induction from implicit use in greek mathematics to formalization by Pascal and Fermat. And we identify various types of thinking included in the developmental process: recursion, regression, analytic thinking, synthetic thinking. In special, we focused on the role of regression in mathematical induction, and then from that role we induce the implications for teaching mathematical induction in school mathematics.

• Journal for History of Mathematics
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.81-96
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• 2006

This paper aims to review Leibniz's analytic ideas in his philosophy, logics, and mathematics. History of analysis in mathematics ascend its origin to Greek period. Analysis was used to prove geometrical theorems since Pythagoras. Pappus took foundation in analysis more systematically. Descartes tried to find the value of analysis as a heuristics and found analytic geometry. And Descartes and Leibniz thought that analysis was played most important role in investigating studies and inventing new truths including mathematics. Among these discussions about analysis, this paper investigate Leibniz's analysis focusing to his ideas over the whole of his studies.

• Journal for History of Mathematics
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.9-27
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• 1985

Islam toot a great interest in the utility sciences such as mathematics and astronomy as it needed them for the religious reasons. It needeed geometry to determine the direction toward Mecca, its holiest place: arithmetic and algebra to settle the dates of the festivals and to calculate the accounts lot the inheritance; astronomy to settle the dates of Ramadan and other festivals. Islam expanded and developed mathematics and sciences which it needed at first for the religious reasons to the benefit of all mankind. This thesis focuses upon the golden age of Islamic culture between 7th to 13th century, the age in which Islam came to possess the spirit of discovery and learning that opened the Islamic Renaissance and provided, in turn, Europeans with the setting for the Renaissance in 14th century. While Europe was still in the midst of the dark age of the feudal society based upon the agricultural economy and its mathematics was barey alive with the efforts of a few scholars in churches, the. Arabs played the important role of bridge between civilizations of the ancient and modern times. In the history of mathematics, the Arabian mathematics formed the orthodox, not collateral, school uniting into one the Indo-Arab and the Greco-Arab mathematics. The Islam scholars made a great contribution toward the development of civilization with their advanced the development of civilization with their advanced knowledge of algebra, arithmetic and trigonometry. the Islam mathematicians demonstrated the value of numerals by using arithmetic in the every day life. They replaced the cumbersome Roman numerals with the convenient Arabic numerals. They used Algebraic methods to solve the geometric problems and vice versa. They proved the correlation between these two branches of mathematics and established the foundation of analytic geometry. This thesis examines the historical background against which Islam united and developed the Indian and Greek mathematics; the reason why the Arabic numerals replaced the Roman numerals in the whole world: and the influence of the Arabic mathematics upon the development of the modern mathematics.

• Journal for History of Mathematics
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.31-42
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• 2005

Renaissance is revival of the ancient Greek and Roman cultures. So, in Renaissance period, the artists began to study Euclidean geometry and then their mind was a spirit of experience and observation. These spirits is namely modernism. In other words, Renaissance was a dawn of modern times. In this paper, we notice modern spirits and ones social backgrounds. Differential and integral calculus was created by these modern spirits. And in art field, 'painter of light', 'artist of moment' appeared. Because in the 17th and 18th centuries, the intelligentsia researched for motions, speeds and lights.

• East Asian mathematical journal
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.131-146
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• 2020

The isoperimetric problem is a well-known optimization problem from ancient Greek. Among plane figures with the same perimeter, which is the largest area surrounded? The answer to the question is circle. Zenodorus and Steiner's pure geometric proofs, which left a lot of achievements in this matter, looked beautiful with ideas at that time. But there was a fatal flaw in the proof. The weakness is related to the existence of the solution. In this paper, from a view of the existence of the solution, we investigate proofs of Zenodorus and Steiner and get educational implications.

• Journal for History of Mathematics
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.1-24
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• 2009

In this paper we have inferred the influence of Zeno on the construction of the potential infinite of Aristotle based on arguments of Zeno's paradoxes. When we examine the potential infinite of Aristotle as the basis of the ancient Greek mathematics, we can see that they did not permit the concept of the actual infinite necessary for calculus. The reason Why they recognized the potential infinite, denying the actual infinite as seen in Aristotle's physics could be found in their attempt to escape the illogicality shown in Zeno's arguments. Accordingly, this paper could provided one of reasons why the ancient Greeks had used uneasy exhaustion's method instead of developing the quadrature involving the limit concept.

• East Asian mathematical journal
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.483-500
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• 2016

Ancient Greek mathematician Euclid left three books about mathematics. It's 'The elements', 'The data', 'On divisions of figure'. This study is based on the analysis of Euclid's 'On divisions of figure'. 'On divisions of figure' is a book about the construction of the shape. Because, there are thirty six proposition in 'On divisions of figure', among them 30 proposition are for the construction. In this study, based on the 'On divisions of figure' we explore the direction for construction education. The results were as follows. First, the proposition of 'On divisions of figure' shall include the following information. It is a 'proposition presented', 'heuristic approach to the construction process', 'specifically drawn presenting', 'proof process'. Therefore, the content of textbooks needs a qualitative improvement in this way. Second, a conceptual basis of 'On divisions of figure' is 'The elements'. 'The elements' includes the construction propositions 25%. However, the geometric constructions contents in middle school area is only 3%. Therefore, it is necessary to expand the learning of construction in the our country mathematics curriculum.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.367-379
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• 2015

The existence of mathematical objects was considered through diorism which was used in ancient Greece as conditions for the existence of the solution of the problem. Proposition I-22 of Euclid Elements has diorism for the existence of triangle. By discussing the diorism in Elements, ancient Greek mathematician proved the existence of defined object by postulates or theorems. Therefore, the existence of mathematical object is verifiability in the axiom system. From this perspective, construction is the main method to guarantee the existence in the Elements. Furthermore, we suggest some implications about the existence of mathematical objects in school mathematics.