Offers an investigation of demonstration in mathematics and science, examining how it works and why it is persuasive. Focusing on geometrical demonstration, this book shows the roles that representation and ambiguity play in mathematical discovery. It also presents a range of case studies in mechanics, topology, algebra, logic, and chemistry.

Emily Grosholz offers an original investigation of demonstration in mathematics and science, examining how it works and why it is persuasive. Focusing on geometrical demonstration, she shows the roles that representation and ambiguity play in mathematical discovery. She presents a wide range of case studies in mechanics, topology, algebra, logic, and chemistry, from ancient Greece to the present day, but focusing particularly on the seventeenth and twentieth centuries. Anyone interested in how mathematics works will find this a stimulating read.

Anyone interested in mathematical practice will find plenty of material in this book ... philosophers who wish to reject Grosholz's views had better come up with collections of studies at least as detailed and compelling as these. That is no small challenge.