Ancient and medieval traditions in the exact sciences. Essays in memory of Wilbur Knorr. Papers of the Wilbur Knorr memorial conference, Stanford, CA, USA, March 13--14, 1998 (Q2723593)

The articles of this volume will be reviewed individually.NEWLINENEWLINENEWLINEPublisher's description: This volume of essays is dedicated to Wilbur Knorr, an outstanding historian of science whose career was cut short much too early. Inspired by Knorr's work, this volume concentrates on the history of ancient mathematics, the associated mathematical sciences, and their medieval and modern tradition. T sciences, and their medieval and modern tradition. This volume emulates the quality and diverse interests of Knorr's innovative, exact, and far-reaching research. Topics inspired by Knorr include a study of geometric analysis and synthesis in ancient Greece and medieval Islam; examination of Eudoxus as originator for the ideas of proportionality underlying Book V of ``Euclid's Elements''; and the extent that Renaissance theorists of linear perspective had access to ancient sources.NEWLINENEWLINENEWLINEThis book considers the status of Eudoxus's theory of homocentric spheres in Greek astronomy. A detailed discussion of the geometrical chemistry of Plato's ``Timaeus'' and its interpretation in antiquity stems from Knorr's work, and a study of Plato's concept of numbers and its relation to the Theory of Forms. Knorr's varied interests motivate investigation into the representation of numbers in the Latin middle ages, or why we read Arabic numbers backwards, and the history of science in a chronology of the three dynasties in ancient China.NEWLINENEWLINEIndexed articles:NEWLINENEWLINE\textit{Berggren, J. L.; Van Brummelen, Glen}, The role and development of geometric analysis and synthesis in ancient Greece and Medieval Islam, 1-31 [Zbl 1011.01003]NEWLINENEWLINE\textit{Fowler, David}, Eudoxus: Parapegmata and proportionality, 33-48 [Zbl 0991.01002]NEWLINENEWLINE\textit{Jones, Alexander}, Pappus' notes to Euclid's optics, 49-58 [Zbl 0980.01002]NEWLINENEWLINE\textit{Mendell, Henry}, The trouble with Eudoxus, 59-138 [Zbl 0997.01001]NEWLINENEWLINE\textit{Netz, Reviel}, Why did Greek mathematicians publish their analyses?, 139-157 [Zbl 0999.01002]NEWLINENEWLINE\textit{Mueller, Ian}, Plato's geometrical chemistry and its exegesis in antiquity, 159-176 [Zbl 1051.01501]NEWLINENEWLINE\textit{Moravcsik, Julius}, Plato on numbers and mathematics, 177-196 [Zbl 1051.01500]NEWLINENEWLINE\textit{Burnett, Charles}, Why we read Arabic numerals backwards, 197-202 [Zbl 0982.01001]NEWLINENEWLINE\textit{Nivison, David S.}, The chronology of the three dynasties, 203-227 [Zbl 0989.01003]