Questions tagged [numbers]
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39 questions
1 vote
1 answer
116 views
Where does this quote from Francisco Gomes Teixeira stem from?
It is stated many places online, e.g. here, that Francisco Gomes Teixeira expressed «Os números são as regras dos seres, e a matemática, é o regulamento do mundo.» If so, where was it expressed?
2 votes
3 answers
169 views
The transition to modern-style formulas for lengths, areas, and volumes
Naturally nobody wrote $C = 2 \pi r$ or $A = \pi r^2$ or $V = (4/3) \pi r^3$ prior to 1706 when William Jones first introduced the symbol $\pi$. Euler is credited with popularizing the symbol so I’m ...
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1 vote
0 answers
160 views
Definitions of numbers given by academics throughout history
The Portuguese Wikipedia presents several definitions of numbers provided by academics, scientists, and philosophers throughout history: Number is the essence and the principle of all things (...
6 votes
1 answer
535 views
Why are powers of a thousand the foundation for naming large numbers?
In our modern number system, large numbers are named based on powers of one thousand. For example, "thousand", "million", "billion", and so forth. Numbers in between ...
- 293
1 vote
0 answers
132 views
Why did ancient Indian mathematicians create new symbols for numbers instead of using letters?
Many ancient cultures, including Roman, Hebrew, Arabic, Egyptian, Gothic, Greek, Balkan, Ethiopian, and Slavic, used letters to represent numbers. This practice seems convenient, as it utilizes ...
4 votes
0 answers
169 views
Are there records of complaints about the Roman numeral system that uses letters to represent numbers?
Has any notable historical figure (such as an academic, philosopher, mathematician, or scholar) explicitly criticized or documented concerns about the Roman numeral system's use of letters to ...
5 votes
2 answers
905 views
When and why was the concept of "having a least upper bound" dubbed "completeness", as in Axiom of Completeness?
The Axiom of Completeness states that any non-empty set with an upper bound has a least upper bound. When and why was this concept of least upper bound dubbed "completeness"? It's true, of ...
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0 votes
0 answers
155 views
How did negative numbers “force themselves” onto Cardano, and was it analogous to how imaginary numbers were forced upon him?
I was reading “A brief history of numbers” by Corry, but I came across a part that confused me. Cardano accepted the law of signs for “subtractions” proposed by an older group of Italian ...
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