The central theme of these essays is the nature and role of mathematics, its growth and spread, and its involvement with ever-wider areas of knowledge. The author attempts to determine the decisive and creative aspects of the abstractness" of mathematics which have made it the dominant intellectual force that it is. He frequently confronts the mathematics and physics of today with the mathematics and physics of the Greeks, which, however renowned, was not yet capable of this abstractness. Originally published in 1981. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Excerpt from Linear Drawing: Showing the Application of Practical Geometry This work is intended firstly as a text-book for teachers in Schools of Art and Science, Training Colleges, National and other schools, and secondly as a manual for self-instruction for artisans and the public generally. It is impossible to over estimate the importance of a knowledge of Geometry, forming as it does the basis of all the mechanical and decorative arts; and therefore the first volume of a Technical Series has been devoted to this subject, from which, as from one common highway, branches may diverge, adapted to the various industrial arts. In order to fit the course of instruction, not only to the young, but to adults whose elementary education may be deficient, the author has deemed it best to assume, in the first instance, utter ignorance on the part of the pupils. Thus it will be seer, that in Problem I, no geometrical terms, such as "describe an arc," &c., are used, the learner being merely told to place the steel point of his compass on a given spot, whilst tracing part of a circle with the pencil leg. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

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