The theme of this lecture is "Question Sets of Ancient Chinese Mathematics Scriptures". The speaker believes that content vs. form has always been the two major elements that must be mastered when reading text. When reading relatively unfamiliar mathematics classics, you especially need to pay attention to its format in addition to the content. Of course, the content of mathematical texts is inseparable from the historical context. The arrangement of these contents sometimes seems to "accidentally" retain that moment in history, providing us with endless aftertaste of historical imagination. This lecture takes "question sets" of volume calculation (questions 9-10 in the volume) from "Zhang Qiu Jian Suan Jing" as an example, and compares it with the question type of " Shanggong" in volume 5 of " The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art". The speaker explains how this "very different from traditional" content arrangement may be a metaphor for the "teaching" style of "the math teller" Zhang Qiujian. That is to say, by studying ancient mathematics classics, you can get a glimpse of the author's ingenuity. The fifth-century mathematician Zhang Qiujian provides readers with excellent testimony.

Implemented by Department of Mathematics
Date: 2023/10/16