Egg-Forms and Measure-Bodies
Different Mathematical Practices in the Early History of the Modern Theory of Convexity
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4516378 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Tinne Hoff Kjeldsen (0000-0002-2426-1622, Roskilde University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2009 |
| Volume | 22 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 85-113 |
| Publication date | 2009-03-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Science in Context (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0269-8897 • E-ISSN: 1474-0664 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0269889708002081 |
| OpenAlex | W2160110027 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 20 |
ArgumentTwo simultaneous episodes in late nineteenth-century mathematical research, one by Karl Hermann Brunn (1862-1939) and another by Hermann Minkowski (1864-1909), have been described as the origin of the theory of convex bodies. This article aims to understand and explain (1) how and why the concept of such bodies emerged in these two trajectories of mathematical research; and (2) why Minkowski's - and not Brunn's - strand of thought led to the development of a theory of convexity. Concrete pieces of Brunn's and Minkowski's mathematical work in the two episodes will, from the perspective of the above questions, be presented and analyzed with the use of the methodological framework of epistemic objects, techniques, and configurations as adapted from Hans-Jörg Rheinberger's work on empirical sciences to the historiography of mathematics by Moritz Epple. Based on detailed descriptions and a comparison of the objects and techniques that Brunn and Minkowski studied and used in these pieces it will be concluded that Brunn and Minkowski worked in different epistemic configurations, and it will be argued that this had a significant influence on the mathematics they developed for those bodies, which can provide answers to the two research questions listed above
Archaeology · Convexity · Epistemology · Geometry · Historiography · Minkowski space · Parallels · Regular polygon · Engineering · History · History and Theory of Mathematics · Mathematics · Philosophy · Philosophy and History of Science · Point processes and geometric inequalities
| Unique citing works | 4 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,29 |
| Citation span | 2012 - 2022 (11) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 4 |