In this book Kline examines the development of mathematics as our most powerful instrument for exploring the physical world. He probes our existing world of mathematics and illuminates its workings as a science enabling us to penetrate the secrets of the world's natural phenomena.

Practical, scientific, philosophical, and artistic problems have caused men to investigate mathematics. But there is one other motive which is as strong as any of these -- the search for beauty. Mathematics is an art, and as such affords the pleasures which all the arts afford.- In this erudite, entertaining college-level text, Morris Kline, Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at New York University, provides the liberal arts student with a detailed treatment of mathematics in a cultural and historical context. The book can also act as a self-study vehicle for advanced high school students and...

Application-oriented introduction relates the subject as closely as possible to science. In-depth explorations of the derivative, the differentiation and integration of the powers of x, and theorems on differentiation and antidifferentiation lead to a definition of the chain rule and examinations of trigonometric functions, logarithmic and exponential functions, techniques of integration, polar coordinates, much more. Clear-cut explanations, numerous drills, illustrative examples. 1967 edition. Solution guide available upon request.

The major creations and developments in mathematics from the beginnings in Babylonia and Egypt through the first few decades of the twentieth century are presented with clarity and precision in this comprehensive historical study.