Lacroix And The Calculus( Series - Science Networks / Historical Studies )

Silvestre FranAois Lacroix (Paris, 1765 - ibid., 1843) was a most influential mathematical book author. His most famous work is the three-volume TraitA(c) du calcul diffA(c)rentiel et du calcul intA(c)gral (1797-1800; 2nd ed. 1810-1819) a" an encyclopedic appraisal of 18th-century calculus which remained the standard reference on the subject through much of the 19th century, in spite of Cauchy's reform of the subject in the 1820's.

Lacroix and the Calculus is the first major study of Lacroixa (TM)s large TraitA(c). It uses the unique and massive bibliography given by Lacroix to explore late 18th-century calculus, and the way it is reflected in Lacroixa (TM)s account. Several particular aspects are addressed in detail, including: the foundations of differential calculus, analytic and differential geometry, conceptions of the integral, and types of solutions of differential equations (singular/complete/general integrals, geometrical interpretations, and generality of arbitrary functions).