Math Department (Thesis/2009-10)

The Special Construction Problems

Under the direction of: Julius Barbanel

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Most mathematical historians agree that abstract mathematics began with the ancient Greeks. Students interested in a senior thesis in ancient Greek mathematics will have a number of specific areas from which to choose.

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Three problems drew the attention of many of the greatest of the ancient Greek mathematicians and came to be known as the "Special Construction Problems." These are: the trisection of any angle, the squaring of the circle (i.e., given a circle, to construct a square having the same area), and doubling the cube (i.e., given a cube, to construct a cube having twice the volume.)

Math Department web pages Created: 11 May 2009 Last modified: 11 May 2009 00:00:00 Comments to: math@union.edu

Thesis Topics - J. Barbanel Thesis Topics for 2009-2010 Thesis Topics -J. Barbanel