Seminar
Glen Van Brummelen
Bennington College
"Computing Without Computers: Serving the Needs of Mathematical Astronomy in Medieval Islam"
Prior to the birth of calculus, and hence of most numerical approximation techniques used today, medieval astronomers were often faced with fierce computational predicaments. Their solutions, often brilliant and usually practical, presaged various modern methods. We shall glimpse a few of these,including constructing a sine table with one's bare hands, solving equations using iterative methods, using interpolation schemes to approximate single- and double-argument functions, and various approximate solutions to mathematical problems related to Islamic religious ritual.
Tuesday, November 16, 2004
Warner 202
3:15 p.m.
Refreshments at 3:00 p.m.
All are welcome to attend!