Course: MHF 6410-001 — Calculus from a Historical Perspective
Credit Hours: 3
CRN: 14846
Term: Fall 2024 (Full Term)
Format: Fully online
Instructor: Zvi Rosen
Email address: rosenz@fau.edu (or preferably Canvas Inbox)
Office: Science Building (SE-43), Room 224
Zoom Office:
link
Office Hours: Thursday 1:00–2:00 pm, or by appointment
(schedule here)
This course studies selected topics in calculus from a historical point of view, emphasizing how major ideas developed over time and how earlier methods can illuminate modern concepts. Topics may include Archimedes’ quadrature of the parabola, classical approaches to computing π, Bernoulli numbers, and sums of powers of integers. We will follow the historical progression from early geometric insights through the creative breakthroughs of the 17th century and the later development of rigorous foundations, using this narrative to deepen understanding of the calculus and its core techniques.
Most course business will be handled on the Canvas site.
Required Text: The Calculus Gallery (Princeton University Press). (ISBN: 9780691182858 or 9780691184548)