A History of Mathematics

One of the leading historians in the mathematics field, Victor Katz provides a world view of mathematics, balancing ancient, early modern, and modern history.

Victor J. Katz received his PhD in mathematics from Brandeis University in 1968 and has been Professor of Mathematics at the University of the District of Columbia for many years. He has long been interested in the history of mathematics and, in particular, in its use in teaching. He is the editor of The Mathematics of Egypt, Mesopotamia, China, India and Islam: A Sourcebook (2007). He has edited or co-edited two recent books dealing with this subject, Learn from the Masters (1994) and Using History to Teach Mathematics (2000). Dr. Katz also co-edited a collection of historical articles taken from MAA journals of the past 90 years, Sherlock Holmes in Babylon and other Tales of Mathematical History. He has directed two NSF-sponsored projects to help college teachers learn the history of mathematics and learn to use it in teaching. Dr. Katz has also involved secondary school teachers in writing materials using history in the teaching of various topics in the high school curriculum. These materials, Historical Modules for the Teaching and Learning of Mathematics, have now been published by the MAA. Currently, Dr. Katz is the PI on an NSF grant to the MAA that supports Convergence, an online magazine devoted to the history of mathematics and its use in teaching.