Harold Edwards
The Philadelphia Area Seminar on History of Mathematics will meet on Thursday, February 21, 2019, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in Saint Augustine Center, Room 300. (email alan.gluchoff@villanova.edu for Parking Permits.)
We begin with conversation and a light supper (donation $10.00). About 6:30-6:45 the talk will begin,
When Harold Edwards, Professor Emeritus, New York University will speak on
Are Complex Numbers as Important as Modern Mathematics Makes Them?
Familiarity with the field of complex numbers is regarded as the cornerstone of a modern mathematical education. Yet many of the important works of Gauss, Abel, and Galois made no use at all of complex numbers. In most cases, I prefer the originals to the modern expositions of these works, because the originals are more constructive and make clearer the ideas that inspired them. Whether we prefer the originals or the modern versions, it is essential for historians of mathematics to understand that the originals are NOT attempts, awkward and only partially successful, to understand the modern versions. I will try to show the importance of this principle by explaining what I see as the virtues of these early works done without using complex numbers.
Directions: Villanova University is located on Route 30, Lancaster Avenue, just east of I-476. If you drive to the meeting, enter Villanova by the main gate on Ithan Avenue. By order of the Parking Office all parking is now in the Saint Augustine Center lot, newly refurbished to a multistory structure. You will need to display a parking pass, which will follow in a later email. The Saint Augustine Center is attached to the lot, and Room 300 is on the third floor. You can get in touch with me (Alan Gluchoff) at 610-905-1376 if you need help.
Public Transportation: Take SEPTA’s Paoli-Thorndale train to the Villanova station. If outbound from center city go down through the tunnel to the inbound side. From the inbound platform go up the stairs and proceed to the left. The second building you encounter is the SAC; entry is through the parking lot or the front entrance.