The History of Mathematical Tables: From Sumer to SpreadsheetsMartin Campbell-Kelly, Professor Emeritus of Computer Science Martin Campbell-Kelly, Mary Croarken, Visiting Fellow Department of Computer Science Mary Croarken, Raymond Flood, Eleanor Robson, Gresham Professor of Geometry Raymond Flood The oldest known mathematical table was found in the ancient Sumerian city of Shuruppag in southern Iraq. Since then, tables have been an important feature of mathematical activity; table making and printed tabular matter are important precursors to modern computing and information processing. This book contains a series of articles summarising the technical, institutional and intellectual history of mathematical tables from earliest times until the late twentieth century. It covers mathematical tables (the most important computing aid for several hundred years until the 1960s), data tables (eg. Census tables), professional tables (eg. insurance tables), and spreadsheets - the most recent tabular innovation. The book is presented in a scholarly yet accessible way, making appropriate use of text boxes and illustrations. Each chapter has a frontispiece featuring a table along with a small illustration of the source where the table was first displayed. Most chapters have sidebars telling a short "story" or history relating to the chapter. The aim of this edited volume is to capture the history of tables through eleven chapters written by subject specialists. The contributors describe the various information processing techniques and artefacts whose unifying concept is "the mathematical table". |
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Contents
Introduction | 10 |
Tables and tabular formatting in Sumer Babylonia and | 19 |
The making of logarithm tables | 49 |
History of actuarial tables | 79 |
de Pronys project for making | 105 |
from Müller to Comrie | 123 |
machines | 145 |
Table making in astronomy | 177 |
The General Register Office and the tabulation | 209 |
British table | 235 |
Table making for the relief of labour | 265 |
The making of astronomical tables in HM | 295 |
The rise and rise of the spreadsheet | 323 |
Biographical notes | 349 |
Other editions - View all
The History of Mathematical Tables: From Sumer to Spreadsheets Martin Campbell-Kelly Limited preview - 2003 |
Common terms and phrases
actuarial addition Advancement American appear application Archives Assyria astronomical Babbage became Briggs British Association calculation Cambridge census century Chapter checking collection column complete computers Comrie construction contained continued copies corrections death described designed difference engine early edition equations errors example figures formulae functions give given headings included Institute interest John known later Library lists logarithms London Lowan machine maker Mathematical Tables Committee mean mechanical method mortality motion Nautical Almanac noted observations Observatory Office operator orbit original Paris period places planets position prepared present Press printed problem production publication published reading Records Report Royal Society Science scientific showed sines spreadsheet standard statistical Tables Project tabulation texts theory tion University users values volume York
References to this book
Modular Forms: A Classical and Computational Introduction Lloyd James Peter Kilford Limited preview - 2008 |