Heavenly Mathematics

Download or read book Heavenly Mathematics written by Glen Van Brummelen and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2017-04-04 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Spherical trigonometry was at the heart of astronomy and ocean-going navigation for two millennia. The discipline was a mainstay of mathematics education for centuries, and it was a standard subject in high schools until the 1950s. Today, however, it is rarely taught. Heavenly Mathematics traces the rich history of this forgotten art, revealing how the cultures of classical Greece, medieval Islam, and the modern West used spherical trigonometry to chart the heavens and the Earth."--Jacket.