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Abstract

The classical era of Greek mathematical development stretched over a period of approximately ten centuries, from about 600 B.C. to 400 A.D. However, it reached an early climax in the third century B.C. with the work of Archimedes and that of his younger contemporary Apollonius, who elaborated a comprehensive theory of the conic sections. Coincident with the establishment of Roman power in the Mediterranean area during the second century B.C., Hellenistic culture in general, and Greek theoretical mathematics in particular, began a period of decline that produced no new contributions comparable to those of Eudoxus, Euclid, Archimedes, and Apollonius.

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© 1979 Springer-Verlag New York, Inc.

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Edwards, C.H. (1979). Twilight, Darkness, and Dawn. In: The Historical Development of the Calculus. Springer Study Edition. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-6230-5_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-6230-5_3

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-387-94313-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4612-6230-5

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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