Mathematics

Resources on the Web

General Resources
American Mathematical Society's e- MATH (http://e-math.ams.org/)
The American Mathematical Society's resource for delivering electronic products and services to mathematicians now has electronic versions of all primary AMS journals with full-text searching across all journals beginning January 1996 -- articles may be downloaded in a variety of formats -- you may also get a demo of MathSciNet, the online version of "Mathematical Reviews," which is now available at HSU.
Humboldt State University Department of Mathematics (http://sorrel.humboldt.edu/~mathdept/)
Has several links to mathematics resources on the web, inlcuding some in the history of mathematics.
 List of Mathematics Information Servers (http://www.math.psu.edu/OtherMath.html)
Includes a list of mathematics department web servers throughout the world, mathematics electronic journals, mathematics preprints, mathematics software, and mathematics organizations.
Mathematical Association of America (http://www.maa.org/)
The world's largest organization devoted to the promotion of collegiate mathematics.
MathSearch (http://www.maths.usyd.edu.au:8000/MathSearch.html)
You can search a collection of over 90,000 documents on English-language mathematics and statistics servers across the Web! Most of the documents deal with research level and university mathematics.
History of Mathematics
British Society for the History of Mathematics (http://www.dcs.warwick.ac.uk/bshm/)
Its goals are to "promote research into the history of mathematics and its use at all levels of mathematics education." Has a link to the Society's file of brief abstracts of papers published in books and journals since 1991.
Calculating Machines (http://www.webcom.com/calc/)
This page pays tribute to the history of calculators, including the abacus and slide rule, and their creators. Even has a Java applet that stimulates the 1885 Felt & Tarrant Comptometer adding machine.
Canadian Society for the History and Philosophy of Mathematics (http://www.kingsu.ab.ca/~glen/cshpm/home.htm)
Founded in 1974, the society promotes research and teaching in the history and philosophy of mathematics -- home page has links to many sites related to the history of mathematics.
Charles Babbage Institute Home Page (http://www.cbi.umn.edu/)
A research center at the University of Minnesota dedicated to promoting the study and preservation of the history of information processing. Includes an oral history interview collection.
Common Book of Pi (http://ernie.bgsu.edu/~carother/pi/Pi1.html)
You will find here, among other things, a brief history of extended precison approximations of pi, including Archimedes' method for estimating pi, a page full of "oh, wow!" formulas used to estimate pi over the centuries, and a brief look at a modern algorithm used to compute pi . Also includes list of references for further reading and a list of other pages devoted to pi on the Web.  By Neil Carothers, professor of mathematics at Bowling Green State University.
Computer History Association of California (CHAC) History Pages (http://www.chac.org/chhistpg.html)
A list of links to over 80 pages on the history of the computer and electronic calculator as well as the history of pre-electronic computing.
Earliest Known Uses of Some of the Words of Mathematics (http://members.aol.com/jeff570/mathword.html)
These pages attempt to show the first uses of various words used in mathematics. Research for these pages is ongoing, and the uses cited should not be assumed to be the first uses that occurred unless it is stated that the term was introduced or coined by the mathematician named
Earliest Uses of Various Mathematical Symbols (http://members.aol.com/jeff570/mathsym.html)
These pages show the names of the individuals who first used various common mathematical symbols, and the dates the symbols first appeared.
Famous Problems in the History of Mathematics (http://forum.swarthmore.edu/~isaac/mathhist.html)
From the Math Forum at Swarthmore, the purpose of this site is to present a small portion of the history of mathematics through an investigation of some of the great problems that have inspired mathematicians throughout the ages.
History of Computing (http://ei.cs.vt.edu/~history/)
The initiation of a collection of materials related to the history of computing.
History of Computing Devices in Mathematics (http://www.llcc.cc.il.us/dbeverid/history.htm)
A list of resources in the history of computing devices, e.g., museums, associations, etc.
History of Mathematics (http://www.maths.tcd.ie/pub/HistMath/HistMath.html)
WWW pages on 17th and early 18th century mathematicians.
History of Mathematics (http://aleph0.clarku.edu:80/~djoyce/mathhist/mathhist.html)
An excellent way to begin researching the history of math. Has lists of Web resources, a clickable map of regional mathematics, a chronology of mathematicians, a clickable timeline, etc.
History of Mathematics and Related Fields (http://www.math-net.de/links/show?collection=math.museum.hist)
The "History Wing" of The Mathematical Museum, part of the Math-Net Links to the Mathematical World -- contains many links to sites on the history of mathematics; e.g., a brief history of algebra and computing, the works of Archimedes, the art of Renaissance science discussing the importance of mathematics to art, etc.
History of Science Museum in Florence, Italy (http://galileo.imss.firenze.it/)
In Italian and English.
John W. Mauchly and the Development of the ENIAC Computer (http://www.library.upenn.edu/special/gallery/mauchly/jwmintro.html)
An exhibition in the Department of Special Collections of Van Pelt Library, University of Pennsylvania, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the ENIAC computer. Portrays a history of the emergence of modern computing as seen through the eyes of one of its two principal inventors, John W. Mauchly (1907-1980), who worked at the Moore School of Electrical Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, between 1941 and 1946.
Library of Congress Exhibition on Rome Reborn: The Vatican Library & Renaissance Culture - Mathematics (http://lcweb.loc.gov/exhibits/vatican/math.html)
An exhibit showing that the Scientific Revolution of the 16th and 17th centuries had its foundation in Greek mathematics.
MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive (http://www-groups.dcs.st- and.ac.uk/~history/)
Contains the biographies of more than 1000 mathematicians as well as photos of approximately 500 mathematicians -- even has a link to a birthplace map.  Has an extensive History Topics page, including  Prime numbers, Fermat's last theorem ,  Development of group theory, etc.
Math Forum Internet Resource Collection on Math History (http://forum.swarthmore.edu/~steve/steve/mathhistory.desc.html)
A collection of links to resources on the history of mathematics, such as the Vatican Exhibit materials on ancient mathematics; Fermat's last theorem; a paper written by George Boole in 1848; etc. -- annotated version is especially useful because there are excellent summaries of what the sites contain.
Mathematical Quotations Server (http://math.furman.edu/~mwoodard/mquot.html)
A collection of mathematical quotations from many sources. May be searched by keyword.
Mathematicians of the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries (http://www.maths.tcd.ie/pub/HistMath/People/RBallHist.html)
Accounts of the lives and works of mathematicians of the seventeenth and first half of the eighteenth century, adapted from "A Short Account of the History of Mathematics" by W. W. Rouse Ball (4th edition, 1908).
Museum of HP Calculators (http://www.hpmuseum.org/)
Mathematical history of the early Hewlett Packard calculators (page is not affiliated with the corporation) -- very interesting site!
Museum of the History of Science at Oxford University (http://info.ox.ac.uk/departments/hooke/)
Covers almost all aspects of the history of science, from antiquity to the early twentieth century -- particularly strong in their collection of scientific instruments, including early mathematical instruments -- currently has "virtual exhibitions" entitled The Measurers: A Flemish Image of Mathematics in the Sixteenth Century and The Geometry of War, 1500-1750.
The Ada Project (TAP): Tapping Internet Resources for Women in Computer Science (http://www.cs.yale.edu/HTML/YALE/CS/HyPlans/tap/tap.html)
Has links to information on "women of computing - past and present", a photo gallery of women and computers, etc.
Virtual Museum of Computing (http://www.comlab.ox.ac.uk/archive/other/museums/computing.html)
An eclectic colletion of Web hyperlinks to sources on the history of computing as well as online exhibits, corporate histories, computer-related museums, etc.
Send comments and suggestions about this page to: Sharon Chadwick Return to HSU Library Home Page