Reading Bombelli
type: Item
instance of: scholarly article
title: Reading Bombelli
zbMATH Open document ID: 1023.01005
DOI: 10.1007/BF03025306
author: Federica La Nave
author: Barry Mazur
published in: The Mathematical Intelligencer
publication date: 2002-09-16T00:00:00Z
review text: The authors do not present an analysis of the whole of Rafael Bombelli's L'Algebra (1572), but focus on one mere aspect, i.e. the cubic equation. Indeed, Bombelli's theory of the complex numbers is closely related to the solution of the cubic equation, in contrast to Cardano whose discussion of complex numbers has its origin in the quadratic equations. Of course, also the irreducible cast is explained and set out. Bombelli was also engaged with the trisection of angles and presents a neusis-construction. Further there is given a translation of Bombelli's preface as well as a glossary. It is not true that Bombelli's Algebra is the first long treatise on mathematics written in Italian (p. 13): Tartaglia has published some of his works in Italian, and even the language of the so-called Treviso-Arithmetic from 1478 is Italian.
reviewed by: Karin Reich
Mathematics Subject Classification ID: 01A40
Mathematics Subject Classification ID: 01A90
zbMATH DE Number: 1800905
zbMATH Keywords: Ferrari
zbMATH Keywords: cubic radicals
zbMATH Keywords: cubic equation
zbMATH Keywords: complex numbers
zbMATH Keywords: Cardano
zbMATH Keywords: irreducible cast
zbMATH Keywords: trisection of angles
Wikidata QID: Q56209694
MaRDI profile type: Publication
cites work: Q5586169
cites work: Q5680071
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full work available at URL: https://doi.org/10.1007/bf03025306
OpenAlex ID: W3189261901
description: scientific article; zbMATH DE number 1800905