Simon Stevin's Oeuvres Mathematiques

This is the title page of the Oeuvres Mathematiques of Simon Stevin (1548-1620), edited by Albert Girard (1595 - 1632) and published in 1634. More pages are available on MathDL.

Simon Stevin's Oeuvres Mathematiques

Gerolamo Cardano's Practica Arithmetice

This is the title page of the Practica Arithmetice of Gerolamo Cardano (1501-1576), published in 1539.  It was a comprehensive work on arithmetical questions, with numerous practical problems and even some elementary algebra and geometry.


More pages: Gerolamo Cardano's Practica Arithmetice

John Ward's Compendium of Algebra

This is the title page of A Compendium of Algebra (1724), written by John Ward, an English mathematicians about whom very little is known.  He was born in 1648 and died sometime around 1730.  It is known that he taught mathematics in Chester and is famous for another mathematics work, the Young Mathematician's Guide, first published in 1703.  That work was imported in large quantities to New England and was used for a time as a textbook at Harvard University.  It contains a very interesting method of calculating pi.


More pages: John Ward's Compendium of Algebra

Gemma Frisius's Arithmeticae Methodus Facilis

An example of the use of double false position to solve a problem in two unknowns found in the Arithmeticae Practicae Methodus Facilis (1540), by Gemma Frisius (originally Regnier Gemma) (1508-1555).  Gemma Frisius was best known for his work in astronomy and map-making; he worked closely with Gerardus Mercator in making an early globe.  He also suggested a method for determining longitude at sea.  


Gemma Frisius's Arithmeticae Methodus Facilis

Antichissimo di Algorismo

One of two illustrations from the fourteenth century Italian codex,  Antichissimo di Algorismo. This is one of many algorisms written at this time. They were arithmetics designed to introduce the Hindu-Arabic numerals, their operational algorithms and demonstrate their use in problem solving. The majority of the problems considered in this codex are commercial in nature. A few might be categorized as “recreational problems”. A special feature of this codex is that it contains 42 illustrations, many of which supplement problems. 

The illustration on folio 60 presents the situation where three couples wish to cross a stream. The small boat they have will only accommodate two persons at a time. How can they all get to the other shore if no man is to cross with another’s wife? This is a variation of the  puzzle-type “River Crossing Problem” that has been posed over the centuries in many guises. 


Antichissimo di Algorismo