Infinitesimal: How a Dangerous Mathematical Theory Shaped the Modern World - Paperback

by Amir Alexander (Author)

Pulsing with drama and excitement, Infinitesimal celebrates the spirit of discovery, innovation, and intellectual achievement-and it will forever change the way you look at a simple line.

On August 10, 1632, five men in flowing black robes convened in a somber Roman palazzo to pass judgment on a deceptively simple proposition: that a continuous line is composed of distinct and infinitely tiny parts. With the stroke of a pen the Jesuit fathers banned the doctrine of infinitesimals, announcing that it could never be taught or even mentioned. The concept was deemed dangerous and subversive, a threat to the belief that the world was an orderly place, governed by a strict and unchanging set of rules. If infinitesimals were ever accepted, the Jesuits feared, the entire world would be plunged into chaos.

Author Biography

Amir Alexander teaches history at UCLA. He is the author of Geometrical Landscapes and Duel at Dawn. His writing has appeared in The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times and his work has been featured in Nature, The Guardian, on NPR, and more. He lives in Los Angeles, California.