UNIVERSITY OF SARGODHA

COURSE OUTLINE                                                                                                      Spring 2021

Course Title: History of Mathematics

Course Code: MATH-429

Credit Hours: 03

Instructor: FARYAL ANJUM

Email: [email protected]

DESCRIPTION & OBJECTIVES

There are many excellent reasons to study the history of mathematics. It helps students develop a deeper understanding of the mathematics they have already studied by seeing how it was developed over time and in various places. It encourages creative and flexible thinking by allowing students to see historical evidence that there are different and perfectly valid ways to view concepts and to carry out computations. Ideally, a History of Mathematics course should be a part of every mathematics major program. The objectives (and outcomes) for math history courses also include clear, critical, creative, and flexible thinking, and an appreciation for the beauty and joy of mathematics.

READINGS

Recommended book

 1. Boyer C.B. and Mersbach U.V. The History of Mathematics. 2nd ed. John      Wiley, 1989.

 2. David M. Burton, The History of Mathematics: An Introduction, 7th Ed. McGraw-Hill, 2010

 3. Boyer, Carl B. and (revised by) Uta Merzbach, A History of Mathematics, New York: John Wiley, 2nd ed., 1989. 

CONTENTS

History of numerations; Egyptian, Babylonian, Hindu and Arabic contributions. Algebra: Including the contributions of Al-Khwarzmi and Ibn Kura. Geometry: areas, the work of Al-Toussi on Euclid’s axioms. Analysis: The CalculusNewton, Lebnitz, Gauss.  The concept of limit: Cauchy, Laplace. An introduction to some famous old open problems.

COURSE SCHEDULE

RESEARCH PROJECT

N/A

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

Mid exam:       30

Sessional:        20

Project:            --

Assignments:   10

Presentation:   10

Final exam:      50

Total:               100

RULES AND REGULATIONS

75% attendance is compulsory to appear in Final Term exam.