Great Feuds in Mathematics

Ten of the Liveliest Disputes Ever

Hal Hellman

• Publisher: Trade Paper Press
• Year: 2010
• ISBN:
  9781118040119
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Mathematics
• Subtopic: Mathematics General
• Index: Mathematics

Praise for Hal HellmanGreat Feuds in Mathematics"Those who think that mathematicians are cold, mechanical proving machines will do well to read Hellman's book on conflicts in mathematics. The main characters are as excitable and touchy as the next man. But Hellman's stories also show how scientific fights bring out sharper formulations and better arguments."
-Professor Dirk van Dalen, Philosophy Department, Utrecht UniversityGreat Feuds in Technology"There's nothing like a good feud to grab your attention. And when it comes to describing the battle, Hal Hellman is a master."
-New ScientistGreat Feuds in Science"Unusual insight into the development of science... I was excited by this book and enthusiastically recommend it to general as well as scientific audiences."
-American Scientist"Hellman has assembled a series of entertaining tales... many fine examples of heady invective without parallel in our time."
-NatureGreat Feuds in Medicine"This engaging book documents [the] reactions in ten of the most heated controversies and rivalries in medical history.... The disputes detailed are... fascinating.... It is delicious stuff here."
-The New York Times"Stimulating."
-Journal of the American Medical Association

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Chapter 1 - Tartaglia versus Cardano
• Chapter 2 - Descartes versus Fermat
• Chapter 3 - Newton versus Leibniz
• Chapter 4 - Bernoulli versus Bernoulli
• Chapter 5 - Sylvester versus Huxley
• Chapter 6 - Kronecker versus Cantor
• Chapter 7 - Borel versus Zermelo
• Chapter 8 - Poincaré versus Russell
• Chapter 9 - Hilbert versus Brouwer
• Chapter 10 - Absolutists/Platonists versus Fallibilists/Constructivists
• Epilogue
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index