Infinitesimal: How a Dangerous Mathematical Theory Shaped the Modern World (60 page)

Scientific American / Farrar, Straus and Giroux

18 West 18th Street, New York 10011

Copyright © 2014 by Amir Alexander

All rights reserved

Printed in the United States of America

First edition, 2014

An excerpt from
Infinitesimal
originally appeared, in slightly different form, in
Scientific American
.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Alexander, Amir R., author.

    Infinitesimal: how a dangerous mathematical theory shaped the modern world / Amir Alexander. — First edition.

        pages    cm

    Includes bibliographical references and index.

    ISBN 978-0-374-17681-5 (hardback)

    1.  Calculus—History.   2.  Geometry, Infinitesimal—History.   3.  Mathematics—Europe—History—16th century.   4.  Mathematics—Europe—History—17th century.   5.  Science, Renaissance.   I.  Title.

QA24. A544 2014

511—dc23

2013033923

Designed by Jo Anne Metsch

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