The Geometry of Rene Descartes

First published in English in 1925, The Geometry of Rene Descartes brings to audiences one of the most revolutionary works in mathematics since Euclid. Descartes changed the field of mathematics with his invention of analytic geometry. He loved Euclid, because Euclidean geometry offered truth and certainty, and all of its conclusions were drawn from irrefutable axioms.

Descartes wanted to have this kind of certainty in all areas of life, and so he sought to answer questions about the real world using algebra combined with geometry. This produced the Cartesian plane, which suddenly allowed equations to be graphed. It was a revolution.

In this book, mathematicians can follow a true genius as he explains his mathematical principles and truths.

New York lawyer and mathematician DAVID EUGENE SMITH (1860-1944) authored a number of books while a professor of mathematics at Columbia University, including The Teaching of Elementary Mathematics (1900), A History of Japanese Mathematics (1914), and History of Modern Mathematics (1896).