January 18-22, 2016
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The purpose of this international workshop is to explore the history of descriptive geometry in relation to its circulation, which had been favored by the transfers of the model of the École polytechnique to other countries, and the diffusion of its teaching, from higher instruction to secondary schools. A first mean of communication among countries was the translation or adaptation of books, but a relevant role is played by the journals and by correspondences also. In addition to that we want to analyze the influence of the institutions – similar but definitely not identical in the different countries – on the field under consideration. So we have three important aspects: the mathematical aspect, the aspect of teaching in particular to non-mathematicians, and the institutions. Recently, many historian of mathematics studied this subject in the context of single countries, like in East Europa, England, France, Germany, Italy, USA. It is now important to gather them in a workshop in order to better analyze the parallel developments and the links among them. It is also a way to more understand the relations between research in mathematics and the creation of new teachings and schools in 19th century. The results of the workshop will lead to the edition of a book. The group of involved researchers represents around 15 countries. It will be a stone for the emerging history of the internationalization of mathematics. |
Organizing Committee
Evelyne Barbin (Université de Nantes) Speakers
Descriptive geometry in France: from the École polytechnique to the secondary school through the École centrale des arts et métiers
Descriptive geometry in German-speaking countries (1815–1915)
The teaching of descriptive geometry in Egypt (1837-1902)
Charles Potier: the origins of descriptive geometry in Russia
Descriptive geometry in England: a drawing or a mathematical technique?
Descriptive geometry in Denmark
Luigi Cremona and Wilhelm Fiedler: Central projection as a link between projective and descriptive geometry
The early teaching of descriptive geometry in the United States (1817-1868)
Notes on the teaching of descriptive geometry in Portugal
The myth of the Polytechnic School |