Math Department (Thesis/2008-09)

Pendulums and Cannonballs: Inventing Mechanics in Early Modern Europe

Under the direction of: Kim Plofker

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The topics in this set have a math-historical focus. History of mathematics is still a very under-studied field, and even a one-semester undergraduate thesis can potentially uncover new and interesting results that researchers and teachers in the field would be eager to know. Students interested in these topics are encouraged to consider planning and structuring their theses for publication, with the assistance of the instructor.

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As algebra, analytic geometry, and calculus flourished in sixteenth-through eighteenth-century Europe, mathematicians like Galileo, Newton and Euler found themselves newly able to describe and predict many physical phenomena, from the swing of a pendulum to the path of a cannonball to the collapse of a top-heavy column, in terms of precise mathematical formulas. A thesis topic in this area might pick one such phenomenon and study how and why it became "mathematized".

Math Department web pages Created: 25 Apr 2007 Last modified: 24 Apr 2008 15:26:26 Comments to: math@union.edu

Thesis Topics - C. Tonnesen-Friedman Thesis Topics for 2008-2009 Thesis Topics - K. Plofker