The history of ancient Chinese mathematics and its applications have been greatly stimulated in the past few decades by remarkable archaeological discoveries of texts from the pre-Qin and later periods, making it possible to study in detail mathematical material from the time at which it was written.

By examining the recent Warring States (475-221 BC), Qin (221-206 BC) and Han (206 BC-AD 220) bamboo mathematical texts conserved and being studied at Tsing-hua University and Peking University in Beijing, the Yuelu Academy in Changsha, and the Hubei Museum in Wuhan, Professor Joseph Dauben will shed light on the history of early mathematical thought and its applications in ancient China. He will also discuss the development of techniques and justifications given for the problems that were a growing part of the corpus, and which culminated in the comprehensive Nine Chapters on the Art of Mathematics.

Date: Sept 20

Venue: Belfer Case Study Room, Harvard University

Website: www.harvard.edu

(China Daily 08/10/2012 page23)