Amir Alexander: On the Materiality of Mathematics 2
Cavalieri called his system “The Method of Indivisibles,” because it was founded on the premise that continuous lines and surfaces were made up of an infinite number of indivisible points or lines. This was practically identical to material atomism, which argued that material bodies are composed of indestructible atoms. No coincidence there – the word “indivisible” is a direct translation of the Greek “atom.” This means that infinitesimal techniques, a pillar of all of modern mathematics, started their way as the doctrine of mathematical atomism.
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Math Rutgers
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Bonaventura Cavalieri I
Bonaventura Cavalieri II
Bonaventura Cavalieri III
Bonaventura Cavalieri IV
Bonaventura Cavalieri V
Bonaventura Cavalieri VI