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From Gauß to Weierstraß: Determinant Theory and Its Historical Evaluations

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The Intersection of History and Mathematics

Part of the book series: Science Networks · Historical Studies ((SNHS,volume 15))

Abstract

The mathematicians of the 19th century were especially interested in linear problems. This applies to matrices, algebraic forms, invariants, quaternions, hypercom-plex numbers, new algebras, and is shown in more than 2000 publications dealing with determinants. The most important authors of this century were among the contributors to determinant theory like Carl Friedrich Gauß, Augustin Louis Cauchy, Carl Gustav Jacob Jacobi, Arthur Cayley, Charles Hermite, James Joseph Sylvester, Karl Weierstraß, Leopold Kronecker. This theory, in contrast to the invariant theory which came out of it, has up to this day kept its great value for mathematical-physical problems even though a shift in its fields has in the meantime taken place. If one seeks its sources one comes up against not only contradictory reports of the origin of the name, but also and especially, of which person or persons are to be recognized as its founders and which problems led to its development.

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Authors
  1. Eberhard Knobloch
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of History & Philosophy of Science, The University of Tokyo, 3-8-1, Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153, Japan

    Ch. Sasaki

  2. Tsuda College, 2-1-1, Tsuda-cho, Kodaira-shi, Tokyo 187, Japan

    M. Sugiura (Vice-Chairman) (Vice-Chairman)

  3. Program in History, The Graduate Center, CUNY, 33 West 42nd Street, 10036-8099, New York, NY, USA

    J. W. Dauben (Chairman) (Chairman)

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Knobloch, E. (1994). From Gauß to Weierstraß: Determinant Theory and Its Historical Evaluations. In: Sasaki, C., Sugiura, M., Dauben, J.W. (eds) The Intersection of History and Mathematics. Science Networks · Historical Studies, vol 15. Birkhäuser Basel. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-7521-9_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-7521-9_5

  • Publisher Name: Birkhäuser Basel

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-0348-7523-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-0348-7521-9

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