Marin Mersenne: The Birth of Modern Geometry

Synopsis: Marin Mersenne was a 17th-century French monk who was also an able scientist who wrote widely on the study of sound. His contribution to mathematics comes from his ambition to see the formation of scientific societies. Amongst the great discoveries of the time, which Mersenne had a part in publicising, are Roberval’s method for the calculation of the area under a cycloid, Descartes’ method of co-ordinate geometry, Desargues’ projective geometry, and Pascal’s theorem on the hexagon. The concepts of Mersenne led to the foundation of the French Academy of Science shortly after his death. Re-creates the character of Mersenne, interspersed with animation and studio demonstrations constructed to match readings from the works of some of the mathematicians of the time. Uses contemporary etchings, books and music to reconstruct the mood of the period.
Series: Topics in the History of Mathematics, Course Ma290
Language: English
Country: Great Britain
Year of production: 1986
Availability: Out of distribution
Notes: Reviewed by David E. Kullman in ‘Science Books & Films’, Vol 25, no 5 (May/Jun 1990).
Subjects: Mathematics
Keywords: geometry; history of mathematics; history of science; Mersenne, Marin

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