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Tree of Mathematics
Reports on Conferences
History and Pedagogy of Mathematics in the 7th Maghrebian symposium on the History
of Arabic Mathematics
30 May - 2 June 2002
Marrakech, Morocco
COMHISMA7
Le 7è Colloque Maghrébin sur l'Histoire des Mathématiques
Arabes s'est déroulé du 30 mai au 1r juin 2002 à l'École
Normale Supérieure de Marrakech, Maroc (bulletin précédent).
Trente sept conférences ou présentations ont été
animées pendant les trois jours qu'a duré le colloque. Ces présentations
ont porté sur les nombres, le calcul, l'astronomie, la philosophie, l'optique,
les héritages, les devinettes, les arts de la guerre, l'algèbre
ou la géométrie dans la civilisation Arabo-Musulmane. D'autres
aspects tel que les dictionnaires comme sources historiques, l'influence des
mathématiques grecques sur les mathématiques arabes ou l'influence
des mathématiques arabes en Europe ont également été
débattus.
Dans le colloque, l'HPM a aussi été présente puisque une
table ronde et non moins de six participations lui ont été consacrées.
On y a alors discuté, entre autres, du rôle de l'histoire des mathématiques
dans le changement d'attitudes, dans l'enseignement, dans la formation des enseignants,
et dans la recherche en didactique des mathématiques. L’idée
de fonder une section maghrébine de l’HPM a d’ailleurs été
évoquée.
Le colloque a en fait connu la participation de conférenciers venant
d'Europe (19), d'Amérique (3), du Maghreb (13) et du Moyen Orient (2).
Le compte rendue détaillé du colloque apparaîtra dans un
prochain numéro du bulletin.
Abdellah El Idrissi
Marrakech, Morocco
A Portuguese secondary teacher at the 7e Colloque Maghrébin sur L’Histoire
des Mathématiques Arabes
On May 29, by lunchtime, I arrived to Marrakech. In that moment,
I actually believed I was going to participate in the symposium I had been waiting
for during many months. It was the seventh time I was at Morocco but I felt
the same I’ve always felt there: it was like being at home. It was the
first time I was participating in a maghrebian symposium on the history of mathematics
so I had great expectations about it.
Back home, in Lisbon, I have in front of me No. 47 of HPM Newsletter, July 2001.
For the last five years I’ve received the newsletter and I always read
it from top to bottom. But this number was the one that brought me the first
information about the symposium. Looking at it now the front page brings me
again saudade (the Portuguese word that has no translation) of John Fauvel.
The historians of mathematics, the secondary teachers, the researchers, had
come from 17 different countries in 4 different continents to the École
Normale Supérieure de Marrakech. It was 9.30 a.m., May 30, and we were
there, at the opening session. During 3 days we attended the parallel sessions,
we watched a film, we participated in the HPM Panel and we listened to the plenary
conferences.
The present note aims to emphasize three main points concerning the symposium.
First of all, the way I was received (from what I saw, everybody would subscribe
my opinion) at Marrakech by our colleagues from GREDIM (Groupe de Recherche
en Didactique de l’Informatique et des Mathématiques) of ENSMA (École
Normale Supérieure de Marrakech). They were very helpful and kind and
the symposium was very well organized specially taking into account the conditions
they had to overcome. The second point refers to the wonderful and illuminating
film about al muqarnas that Mrs Dold-Samplonius showed us in a special session
where everybody was present. Finally, I would like to present my opinion as
a secondary school teacher who has been trying for many years to increase and
improve the presence of the history in the teaching and learning of mathematics.
Although I’m conscious that the core of the symposium was the History of
Arabic Mathematics, I’m pleased about the pedagogical aspects included
in the symposium. I live in Lisbon, a town that belonged to the al-andalous,
and I am very interested in the Arabian culture. I went to Marrakech because
I wanted to learn more about the Arabic mathematics and their role in the development
of mathematics and, indeed, I fulfilled this aim. But only a didactical perspective
could help me taking that knowledge to my mathematics classes. I hope that such
perspective will continue to be included in the maghrebian symposiums on the
history of Arabian mathematics in Tunisia in 2004.
Isabel Cristina Dias
Lisboa, Portugal
The Abel-Fauvel conference at Kristiansand,
Norway
12-15 June 2002
Most people arrived in the afternoon/late evening at the Gimlekollen
Mediasenter on Tuesday 11 June. There was an excellent spread of food available
every day, made all the more palatable by the superb companionship of those
present. A total of 27 participants represented 11 countries - Norway, Sweden,
Iceland, UK, Germany, Italy, France, USA, Peru, Taiwan and Chile.
Since 1988, when the "Learn from the Masters" conference was organized,
Kristiansand has developed considerably as a centre for the study of relations
between education and the history of mathematics. In 1994 Agder University College
was founded, a masters degree for mathematical education (including history)
was introduced and a doctor program in the field is in progress.
I found the conference passed very quickly. We were treated to a total of 31
stimulating sessions from people with a wide variety of mathematical interests,
most of them preparing papers for ICME-10. One of those is Kajsa Bråting
who is a graduate student in National Swedish Graduate School for Mathematics
Education and has been doing some psychological and educational studies. Currently
her focus is on the history of mathematics as well as the origin and comprehension
of mathematical concepts. She presented a session entitled Malmsten’s Proof
of the Integral Theorem - an Early Swedish Paper on Complex Analysis This was
about the Swedish mathematician C.J Malmsten’s paper Om definita integraler
mellan imaginära gränsor from 1865. Malmsten (1818-1886) became professor
of mathematics at Uppsala University in 1841. During the 1840s he wrote many
remarkable articles and became after Samuel Klingenstierna (1698-1765) the first
Swedish mathematician who not only followed the development of mathematics of
his time, but also contributed to it. Malmsten was also interested in politics
and in 1866 he became county governor of ‘Skaraborgs län’
In his article, Malmsten finds some insufficiencies in Cauchy’s proof of
the integral theorem where the limits of integration are complex numbers. Subsequently,
he wants to prove it analogously to Cauchy’s proof of the integral theorem
for definite integrals between real limits. Thus, Malmsten’s approach is
to first show the existence of the integral, i.e. the path-independence, and
then its various properties.
The aim of her report is to try to catch the techniques that Malmsten made use
of in his proof and to get a glimpse of the mathematical concepts at this time,
especially those that weren’t fully investigated and thereby gave rise
to some problems for the mathematicians. The intention is also, to some extent,
to become acquainted with the mathematical arena in Sweden at this time.
Of course, with the bicentenary of Abel’s birth fast approaching we were
treated to many references to his work and a whole session about him. Norway
has recently issued two stamps commemorating Abel. They have a monthly competition
for school children, details of which can be found at www.kappabel.com. Ivar
Salvesen, the project leader, told us all about the work that was being done
to promote Abel in Norway (including the song that is proving popular with the
all) and provided us with stamps, a mug, a calendar and literature about Abel.
)
The new Norwegian stamp featuring Abel
There was a conference dinner one evening. The nearby lake and the surrounding
countryside made a pleasant setting for the walks that people took before or
after the end of the day’s sessions. With the sun setting late and rising
early there was nearly 20 hours of daylight in which to make the most of Norway.
My thanks go to everyone who attended for the most excellent sessions and friendship,
the staff at the Gimlekollen Mediasenter for their help and catering, and the
organisers: Director Bengt Johansson of the Swedish National Centre for Mathematical
Education at Gotenburg University, Professor Sten Kaijser of the Swedish Research
School in Mathematical Education at Uppsala University and Professor Otto Bekken,
member of the Nordic Contact Committee for ICME 10 in Copenhagen 2004. Last
but not least, thanks to the Norwegian Government for their financial help with
accommodation and travel.
Peter Ransom
Romsey, UK
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