Well, living on the 'Island' means you are beginning the evening when I'm starting a new day. I'm glad some folks are still up. It looks as if I was wrong. I am not alone here after all. Thank you for posting tonight.
Diophantus, is often known as the 'father of algebra', and is best known for his Arithmetica, a work on the solution of algebraic equations and on the theory of numbers. However, essentially nothing is known of his life and there has been much debate regarding the date at which he lived.
The Arithmetica is a collection of 130 problems giving numerical solutions of determinate equations (those with a unique solution), and indeterminate equations. The method for solving the latter i believe is now known as Diophantine analysis.
Only six of the original 13 books were thought to have survived and it was also thought that the others must have been lost quite soon after they were written.
There are many Arabic translations, for example by Abu’l-Wafa, but only material from these six books appeared.
I am not familliar with the book you mention. I do have on hand "Tractenburg's theory of basic mathematics". This was a slightly contraversial book for its time. I bought and studied this when I was only 16, believe it or not.
And I still have trouble counting to twenty without removing my shoes.
------------------ "Blessed are they who expect nothing. For they will not be disappointed." - Edmund Qwenn, "The Trouble with Harry"
[This message has been edited by Jolly Roger Too (edited 01-20-2002).]
