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Descartes and the New World of Curves

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Part of the Lecture Notes in Mathematics book series (HISTORYMS,volume 2162)

Abstract

Let us make a huge temporal leap, in order to reach the “Géométrie” [56] of Descartes, published in 1637, illustrating his “Discourse on the Method of Rightly Conducting One’s Reason and of Seeking Truth in the Sciences”.

Keywords

  • Polynomial Equation
  • Unknown Quantity
  • Algebraic Topology
  • Conic Section
  • Fourth Degree

These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The translation into English is taken from [56].

  2. 2.

    Smith and Latham translated simply as “classify them in order”. Nevertheless, the French original says “les distinguer par ordre en certains genres”.

  3. 3.

    Smith and Latham translated the original “premier et plus simple genre” as “first and simplest class”.

References

  1. E. Brieskorn, H. Knörrer, Plane Algebraic Curves (Birkhäuser Verlag, Boston, 1986). Translation by J. Stillwell of the first German edition of 1981

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  2. R. Descartes, The Geometry (Dover Publications, New York, 1954). Translation by D.E. Smith, M.L. Latham of Géométrie, Ian Maire marchand libraire à Leyde, 1637, with facsimile in this Dover edition

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© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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Popescu-Pampu, P. (2016). Descartes and the New World of Curves. In: What is the Genus?. Lecture Notes in Mathematics(), vol 2162. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-42312-8_2

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