Eugene Bowman, Pennsylvania State University, Harrisburg
Philadelphia Area Seminar on the History of Mathematics, Villanova University
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Place: Room 103, Mendel Science Center, Villanova University
Abstract: In 1734 Bishop George Berkeley published "The Analyst; or A Discourse Addressed to an Infidel Mathematician," wherein he, quite famously and in some cases correctly, criticized Newton's Doctrine of Fluxions. Maclaurin's 1742 book "The Elements of the Method at Fluxions" is usually taken to be the definitive Newtonian response to Berkeley. But there were earlier attempts to clarify and/or rigorize Newton. One was Benjamin Robins' "Treatise on Fluxions" published only one year after Berkeley. In his introduction Robins explains his purpose, "For though Sir Isaac Newton has very distinctly explained... these subjects... yet as the great author's great brevity has made a more diffusive illustration not altogether unnecessary; I have here endeavored to consider more at large each of these methods; whereby, I hope, it will appear that they have all the accuracy of the strictest mathematical demonstration." That is, Robins presents his text as simply "filling in the blanks" left by Newton. Eugene Bowman will examine some key theorems/proofs from Robins' text.