3.00--3.50 p.m.
The evolution of the sine
Kim Plofker
Union College, Schenectady, NY, USA.
20-11-13

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Abstract

The sine function so fundamental to the global commons of modern mathematics is actually a cultural and linguistic hybrid of ideas and applications from many different scientific traditions in many different periods. Starting with the metrology of the circle in late Babylonian mathematical astronomy before the common era, we will trace the rise of trigonometry and changing interpretations of the sine concept in Greek, Indian, Islamic, and early modern European mathematics.