Writing Topics

Due Wednesday, 9 April, 2008, or before, one percent bonus (1.00 points) added to final assessment.
Ten percent bonus on the one percent (1.10 points), if turned in Monday, 7 April, 2008;
An additional bonus of twenty percent of the one percent (1.20 points), if turned in on Friday, 4 April, 2008.

Name: ______________________________
(please print)

149-001       149-002
(please circle)

Stewart contains descriptions of writing projects. The first one, about early methods for finding tangents, is described on page 123. The second one, about Newton, Leibniz, and the invention of calculus, is described on page 332. The third one, about the origin of L'Hospital's Rule for calculating limits, is described on page 481. Another, on how Newton discovered the binomial series, is described on page 784.

After reading the descriptions, indicate your choice of topic for the writing project by circling one of the topics listed below.

1. How Barrow would have solved the problem.
2. How Fermat would have solved the problem.
3. The role of Newton in the development of calculus.
4. The role of Leibniz in the development of calculus.
5. The historical and mathematical origins of L'Hospital's Rule.
6. Newton's discovery of the binomial series.

Some online resources:

• MacTutor,   http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/
• Math World,   http://mathworld.wolfram.com/
• Stewart Calculus,   http://www.stewartcalculus.com/.     Click on "History of Mathematics" for an additional list of reliable resources, including web links.