MAT400 – History of Mathematics

Course Syllabus

Fall 2006

Instructor: Dr. Kate McGivney

Office: MCT 277

Phone: 477-1490

e-mail address:

course website:

Course Description: Throughout this semester we will study mathematics topics from a historic point of view. The topics, for the most part, should be familiar so we will focus our discussion on historical contexts and connections. Specifically, our goal is that this course will

  1. Expose you to the human side of mathematics and its development. Mathematics has always been part of human cultures, but its role has changed throughout history.
  2. Provide you with an overview of mathematics, so you can see how your various courses fit together and where the important ideas come from.
  3. Improve your written and oral communication skills in the context of mathematics.
  4. Teach you how to use the mathematics material in the library and on the Internet.
  5. Raise your awareness of how you might use the history of mathematics in your future teaching (for those of you pursuing this route).
  6. Understand the contribution that female mathematicians have made to the discipline.

This course will be run primarily in a seminar style, which places a great deal of responsibility on you. I expect that you will keep up with the reading assignments, turn papers and other work in on time, organize your presentations in a responsible way, and participate fully in class discussions. The quality of your experience in this course depends on everyone striving to meet these expectations.

Textbooks:

1) Katz, A History of Mathematics, Brief Edition, 2004.

2) Berlinghoff and Gouvea, Math Through the Ages, Oxton House Publishers, 2002.

Office Hours:

  • Monday 10-11 a.m.
  • Tuesday 2-3:30 p.m.
  • Wednesday 3:30-5 p.m.
  • Thursday 8:30-9:30 a.m.

and by appointment.

Evaluation of Students: We will evaluate your work in the course through homework assignments, two group presentations, two papers, and a midterm and a final exam.

Course Policies:

Homework Problem Sets:

Several homework problem sets will be given during the semester. You are encouraged to discuss homework problem sets together. This means that small groups of students are equally contributing to the process. However, the written solutions to the ideas should be your own work. Do not write up the final solutions in groups. Students who submit identical solutions to a problem will receive a 0 on the problem set. Please acknowledge your collaborators on your written assignment

Late Work: A make-up exam will only be granted if there is a well-documented excuse and you inform me prior to the start of the exam. Late homework and papers will be subject to a penalty. Homework will not be accepted after the problems have been discussed or papers returned.

Papers: Plagiarism of any form will not be tolerated. Students who submit another person’s work as their own will be reported.

Requirements for papers and presentations

Group Presentation Guidelines
  • Presentations should be planned to last between 18 and 22 minutes. You will be asked to stop after 25 minutes regardless of whether you are done or not.
  • Each person in the group should equally participate in the presentation.
  • Prior to the class when you will present, make sure that your PowerPoint presentation is compatible with the computer in MCT262.
  • Presentations should effectively present the material in the assigned chapter and must use PowerPoint in an effective way. Presentations must include some information or resource not directly from the book chapter.
  • Presentations must be accompanied by the following material to be turned in to me on some electronic medium (including e-mail attachments). These are due on the same day as your presentation.
  • The PowerPoint file for your presentation.
  • References for any information you use which is not in the book.
  • A paragraph briefly describing the contributions of each group member.
  • A timeline for your chapter consistent with the example I will hand out in class.
  • Five "exam" questions related to this chapter. The format for these questions should be True/False, Multiple Choice, Short Answer, or Matching. Don't forget to include answers to the questions. The exam questions should be submitted in a separate document from the PowerPoint presentation. Please type the document using Times New Roman, font size 12 and save the file as ChapterXTestQuestions.doc.
Midterm Paper Guidelines
  • Length should be 3 to 5 pages (typed, double-spaced, with 1 in. margins and 12 point font)
  • The topic of this paper is to be biographical. In order to have the most information available, you should choose someone who made his/her contributions to mathematics no earlier than 1400 AD. Your paper can give a complete biography or you can focus on a period of the person's life or on a particular contribution to mathematics made by the person.
  • Whatever the focus, your paper should have good structure, correct spelling and grammar, and proper quoting/paraphrasing practices. See the Learning Assistance Center if you need help editing.
  • Your paper should be written so that it could be understood by your class peers.
  • References should include at least a book other than our textbooks, a trustworthy internet source, and a periodical article. Citations and footnotes should follow MLA guidelines as taught by the English Department. See the library's instructions for citing web pages (
Term Paper Guidelines
  • Length should be 6 to 8 pages (typed, double-spaced, with 1 in. margins and 12 point font)
  • Topics can be chosen from the list below or suggested to and approved by the instructor. This paper is to focus on a subject, problem or issue that spans more than one generation of mathematicians.
  • Whatever the focus, your paper should have good structure, correct spelling and grammar, and proper quoting/paraphrasing practices.
  • Your paper should be written so that it can be understood by your peers in the class.
  • References should include at least a book other than our textbooks, a trustworthy internet source, and a periodical article. Citations and footnotes should follow MLA guidelines as taught by the English Department. See the library's instructions for citing web pages (

Topics List for Term Paper Projects

  • History of perfect numbers
  • History of the binomial theorem
  • History of prime numbers
  • History of the quadratic equation
  • The Goldbach Conjecture.
  • History of Calculus Textbooks, including work by Maria Agnesi.
  • Fermat's Last Theorem, including work by Sophie Germain
  • The Riemann Hypothesis
  • The books that most changed our present geometry texts.
  • Comparison of algebra texts: The turn of the century and today
  • How new was the new math?
  • American mathematics prior to 1875
  • The influence of social needs on the uses of mathematics
  • How our view of the early history of mathematics has changed in the last 100 years
  • The dark ages were dark for mathematics too
  • Contributions by female mathematicians to theoretical physics, including work by Emmy Noether
  • The changing notion of function
  • The calculus priority dispute
  • The history of linear programming
  • The history of numerical analysis
  • The history of statistics
  • Contributions by women to the area of computer science
  • Navigation and mathematics
  • Mathematics of calendars
  • History of Hindu mathematics
  • History of Japanese mathematics
  • History of Chinese mathematics
  • History of Islamic mathematics

We will use the following grading scheme:

Homework / 20%
Presentations (2) / 20%
Papers (2) / 20%
Midterm / 20%
Final Exam / 20%

At the end of the semester, grades will be assigned use the following scale:

Percentage / 93-100 / 90-92 / 87-89 / 83-86 / 80-82 / 77-79 / 70-76 / 60-69 / 0-59
Final Grade / A / A- / B+ / B / B- / C+ / C / D / F

Best wishes for a productive and enjoyable semester.