• 한국수학사학회지
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• 제28권2호
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• pp.65-72
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• 2015

The Joseon dynasty (1392-1910) is basically an agricultural country and therefore, the main source of her national revenue is the farmland tax. Thus the farmland tax system becomes the most important state affair. The 4th king Sejong establishes an office for a new law of the tax in 1443 and adopts the farmland tax system in 1444 which is legalized in Gyeongguk Daejeon (1469), the complete code of law of the dynasty. The law was amended in the 19th king Sukjong era. Jo Tae-gu mentioned the new system in his book Juseo Gwan-gyeon (1718) which is also included in Sok Daejeon (1744). Investigating the mathematical structures of the two systems, we show that the systems involve various aspects of mathematics and that the systems are the most precise applications of mathematics in the Joseon dynasty.

• 한국수학사학회지
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• 제27권2호
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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.