The Geometry of Rene Descartes (Dover Books on Mathematics) [Paperback]

Rene Descartes (Author), David Eugene Smith (Translator), Marcia L. Latham (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1954 | ISBN-10: 0486600688 | ISBN-13: 978-0486600680

The great work that founded analytical geometry. Included here is the original French text, Descartes' own diagrams, together with the definitive Smith-Latham translation. "The greatest single step ever made in the progress of the exact sciences." — John Stuart Mill.

Product Details

• Paperback: 244 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications, Inc. (June 1, 1954)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486600688
• ISBN-13: 978-0486600680
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #260,477 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enter Modern Mathematics, June 28, 2001

By 

Adella L. Thompson "artymesia" (Bellingham, Washington United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Geometry of Rene Descartes (Dover Books on Mathematics) (Paperback)

Using the locii problems investigated by Apollonius, Descartes employs the rules of his "method" in this treatise on geometry. By approaching geometrical problems with algebraic processes and vice versa, he manages to create point coordinate geometry. This work drastically changed the way in which we view conic sections as well as the very process of analytic inquiry. The math is mostly straightforward and more familiar to the reader than the works of the ancient mathematicians. It is not neccesary to have studied much previous mathematical works to gain a basic comprehension of Descartes' solutions. Attempting at most times to maintain the simple and straighforward presentation advocated by his method, Descartes will give you most of the basics that you need to understand the rest of the work. However, close concentration must be paid for the math to mean anything. It is easy to skip a step in a proof and find yourself completely lost. Given the proper patience, this work is invaluable for anyone who wants to see the origins of our method of thought today. Fascinating both as a mathematical treatise and as a perfect trial run for anyone wanting to follow the cartesian method of learning.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book to work through, July 29, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Geometry of Rene Descartes (Dover Books on Mathematics) (Paperback)

This book contains a facsimile of the original version which runs nearly page for page with the English version. This is a true mathematical masterpiece. This was the supposed beginning of analytical Geometry(although it is now known that this was not true). It's a great book to work through that should be accessable to a high school student with some Geometry background. A Fantastic Book!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous, June 27, 2008

By 

Philip Mohr (Indianola, MS) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Geometry of Rene Descartes (Dover Books on Mathematics) (Paperback)

This is a cheaply printed book with unquestionable value for any mathematician or liberal arts major. It has facing-page French with an English translation (which is fairly strict and literal), with great diagrams. It's difficult to read, and that's okay, because when other mathematicians at the time read it they thought it was impossible and that Descartes was insane.

Descartes, apart from this edition, is brilliant and worth the time to study.

This book is a bad choice for anyone not familiar with Euclidian and Apollonian geometry. Period. If you're not, you should find some commentary on Cartesian geometry instead of tackling this monster head-on.