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Catalogue Information
Field name	Details
Dewey Class	510.9
Title	Lengths, Widths, Surfaces ([EBook] :) : A Portrait of Old Babylonian Algebra and Its Kin / / by Jens Høyrup.
Author	Høyrup, Jens
Other name(s)	SpringerLink (Online service)
Publication	New York, NY : : Springer New York : : Imprint: Springer, , 2002.
Physical Details	XIV, 462 p. : online resource.
Series	Sources and studies in the history of mathematics and physical sciences
ISBN	9781475736854
Summary Note	In this examination of the Babylonian cuneiform "algebra" texts, based on a detailed investigation of the terminology and discursive organization of the texts, Jens Høyrup proposes that the traditional interpretation must be rejected. The texts turn out to speak not of pure numbers, but of the dimensions and areas of rectangles and other measurable geometrical magnitudes, often serving as representatives of other magnitudes (prices, workdays, etc...), much as pure numbers represent concrete magnitudes in modern applied algebra. Moreover, the geometrical procedures are seen to be reasoned to the same extent as the solutions of modern equation algebra, though not built on any explicit deductive structure.:
Contents note	I Introduction -- II A New Reading -- III Select Textual Examples -- IV Methods -- V Further “Algebraic” Texts -- VI Quasi-Algebraic Geometry -- VII Old Babylonian “Algebra”: A Global Characterization -- VIII The Historical Framework -- IX The “Finer Structure” of the Old Babylonian Corpus -- X The Origin and Transformations of Old Babylonian Algebra -- XI Repercussions and Influences -- Abbreviations and Bibliography -- Index of Tablets -- Index of Akkadian and Sumerian Terms and Key Phrases -- Name Index.
System details note	Online access to this digital book is restricted to subscription institutions through IP address (only for SISSA internal users)
Internet Site	http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-3685-4
Links to Related Works	Subject References: History . History of Mathematical Sciences . History of Science . Mathematics . Authors: Høyrup, Jens . Corporate Authors: SpringerLink (Online service) . Series: Sources and studies in the history of mathematics and physical sciences . Classification: 510.9 .

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Lengths, Widths, Surfaces: A Portrait of Old Babylonian Algebra and Its Kin /

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