• Journal for History of Mathematics
• /
• v.33 no.2
• /
• pp.75-101
• /
• 2020

We considered the context of the publications and transmissions of mathematics books using the Korean traditional book lists and the catalogues of woodblocks in the Joseon Dynasty and DaeHan大韓 Empire period. Among the results, this paper first describes the context of the publication and transmission of mathematics textbooks of national math exams算學取才 in the first half of Joseon, adding a step more specific to the facts known so far. In 1430, 『YangHui SanFa楊輝算法』, 『XiangMing SuanFa詳明算法』, 『SuanXue QiMeng算學啓蒙』, 『DiSuan地算』, 『WuCao SuanJing五曹算經』 were selected as the textbooks of national math exams算學取才. 『YangHui SanFa』, 『XiangMing SuanFa』, 『DiSuan』 were included in the catalogues of woodblocks in the Joseon Dynasty before the Japanese invasion in 1592, and we could see that Gyeongju慶州, Chuncheon春川, and Wonju原州 were the printing centers of these books. Through other lists, literature records and real text books, it came out into the open that 『XiangMing SuanFa』 was published as movable print books three times at least, 『SuanXue QiMeng』 four times at least in the first half of Joseon Dynasty. And 『XiangMing SuanFa』 was published at about 100 years later than 『YangHui SanFa楊輝算法』 as xylographic books, 『SuanXue QiMeng』 was published twice as xylographic books in the second half of Joseon Dynasty. Whether or not the list of royal books included the Korean or Chinese versions of these books, and additional notation in that shows how the royal estimation of these books changed.

• Journal for History of Mathematics
• /
• v.31 no.3
• /
• pp.127-150
• /
• 2018

In spite of important researches and translational works of the Joseon mathematical treatises in the 80's and on, these results were almost out of reach to the school teachers as well as students due to the antiquity of their contents and the terms used. In order to make our traditional mathematics approachable to the middle and high school students, it will be educationally meaningful to reinterpret them tuned at the student's level using modern terminology and symbols. In this study, we reinterpreted 9 problems from Cheukryang Dohae, which is one of the representative mathematical books of Joseon Dynasty. We used the terminology and symbols from the school curriculum. We also reconstructed two of them using modern metrologies adapted to modern situations adding illustrations and photos, so that they are useful at the teaching site.

• Journal for History of Mathematics
• /
• v.31 no.2
• /
• pp.55-72
• /
• 2018

Matteo Ricci and Xu Gwangqi translated the first six Books of Euclid's Elements and published it with the title Jihe Yuanben, or Giha Wonbon in Korean in 1607. It was brought into Joseon as a part of Tianxue Chuhan in the late 17th century. Recognizing that Jihe Yuanben deals with universal statements under deductive reasoning, Jo Tae-gu completed his Juseo Gwan-gyeon to associate the traditional mathematics and the deductive inferences in Jihe Yuanben. Since Jo served as a minister of Hojo and head of Gwansang-gam, Jo had a comprehensive understanding of Song-Yuan mathematics, and hence he could successfully achieve his objective, although it is the first treatise of Jihe Yuanben in Joseon. We also show that he extended the results of Jihe Yuanben with his algebraic and geometric reasoning.

• Journal for History of Mathematics
• /
• v.27 no.3
• /
• pp.155-164
• /
• 2014

Tianyuanshu and Zengcheng Kaifangfa introduced in the Song-Yuan dynasties and their contribution to the theory of equations are one of the most important achievements in the history of Chinese mathematics. Furthermore, they became the most fundamental subject in the history of East Asian mathematics as well. The operations, or the mathematical structure of polynomials have been overlooked by traditional mathematics books. Investigation of GuIlJib (九一集) of Joseon mathematician Hong JeongHa reveals that Hong's approach to polynomials is highly structural. For the expansion of $\prod_{k=11}^{n}(x+a_k)$, Hong invented a new method which we name Hong JeongHa's synthetic expansion. Using this, he reveals that the processes in Zhengcheng Kaifangfa is not synthetic division but synthetic expansion.

• Journal for History of Mathematics
• /
• v.28 no.1
• /
• pp.15-29
• /
• 2015

This study aims to analyze how the history of mathematics is used in Chinese mathematics textbooks. As a framework for analysis, we categorized nine types of using the history of mathematics in textbooks. We analyzed 18 mathematics textbooks for Chinese elementary and middle schools. As a result, we found that various types of using the history of mathematics were adopted in Chinese textbooks except for explorations of mathematical errors in history. We also noticed three characteristics: preference to using for motivation and reading matters in elementary school levels, high frequencies of using problems from traditional mathematical books and origins of mathematical concepts or symbols, and emphasis on ethnic superiority through the Chinese traditional mathematics. Based on the results of analysis, we discussed and induced some implications for using the history in our mathematics textbooks.

• Journal for History of Mathematics
• /
• v.19 no.4
• /
• pp.13-30
• /
• 2006

The purpose of this study is to investigate the meaning and roles of rhymes in oriental mathematics. To do this, we consider the rhymes in traditional chinese, korean, indian, arabian mathematical books and the mathematical knowledge which they implicate. And we discuss the reasons for which they were often used and the roles which they played. In addition, we suggest how to use them in teaching mathematics.