Dr. David Lindsay Roberts (Prince George’s Community College)
Philadelphia Area Seminar on History of Mathematics (Villanova University)
In 1857 Daniel Harvey Hill, a professor at Davidson College in North Carolina, published a textbook titled Elements of Algebra, aimed at the college market. A twenty-first century mathematical reader will find in Hill’s book features both familiar and unfamiliar, and will gain insight into the state of the field at the time. Hill is comfortable with well-defined algorithms and symbol manipulation, but he flubs a proof involving the fundamental properties of prime numbers, and he treats imaginary numbers with trepidation. Hill, an ardent southern loyalist who would later serve as a general in the Confederate army, also spices his book with anti-Yankee sentiments and unapologetic references to slavery. This talk, Dr. David Lindsay Roberts of Prince George’s Community College will touch on both the mathematical and ideological aspects of Hill’s book, comparing it with some similar books of roughly the same time period.
A light dinner will be served from about 6:00pm-6:30pm (donation of $10).
Directions
Car: 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.