McCall Eldredge Brett Myrup Melissa Andersen

History of a Mathematics Topic

For Unit 6 of the Secondary Mathematics I course, we learn about how algebra connects to geometry through the Cartesian coordinate system. We decided to learn more about Descartes and how he started using the system. When talking about algebra and geometry in the classroom, we will be able to incorporate some of its history. The Cartesian coordinate system got its name from Rene Descartes. He was one of the first mathematicians to recognize zero as a number, although he did not give credit to the negative numbers. He worked in positive distances only and mainly worked with just the x-axis. He knew that the x-values all had a corresponding y-value and so the y-axis is used as a convenience. Because of these stipulations, Descartes only used the first quadrant. Mathematicians did not start experimenting with negative numbers until the time of Isaac Newton. At about the same time, Fermat was using a coordinate system in his study of some special curves. His work, however, was not published until after Descartes, who as credited for the original idea. Fermats work though was not influenced by that of Descartes, and it seems both were using a rudimentary system that is the basis of the Cartesian coordinate system we use today. To incorporate this information into a lesson, we could show some examples of how the original work of Descartes was done with just the x axis and then have some discussion and discovery with the class to evolve into what we use today. We could also give students examples of different types of legitimate coordinate systems that could be used to graph functions and plot points, but which are not used regularly in the classroom or in mathematics in general. Obviously, we would not make the students do everything, but we would at least let them glimpse the evolution of our coordinate system. We find it interesting to note that there are many instances in mathematics history, and probably history in general, where a certain invention or development is discovered and named after one person, even though there were other individuals who were working to prove or develop a similar tool. Such is the case when discussing the development of the Cartesian coordinate system. This system which we use for graphing today was named after a man named Rene Descartes. Yet, he was not the only person who was trying to develop a process for charting movement or distances. It would be possible to incorporate this incident in history into a lesson for students by having them discuss such a situation as if it had happened to them and how they would react, with a viewpoint from both perspectives (that of discovering without recognition and discovering with recognition). To give a background to this idea of plotting geometry using algebra, we could share the story which is sometimes told about Descartes development of the coordinate system or lead students to do some discovering of their own in a similar manner. Some mathematics historians claim it may be that Descartes's inspiration for the coordinate system was due to his lifelong habit of staying late in bed. According

McCall Eldredge Brett Myrup Melissa Andersen

to some accounts, one morning Descartes noticed a fly walking across the ceiling of his bedroom. As he watched the fly, Descartes began to think of how the fly's path could be described without actually tracing its path. His further reflections about describing a path by means of mathematics led to La Gometrie and Descartes's invention of coordinate geometry. http://www.bookrags.com/research/descartes-and-his-coordinate-system-mmat-02/ By giving students an opportunity to discover this relationship for themselves, coupling geometry with algebra would become more meaningful for them, and they would more readily see the advantages of using geometry and algebra together, rather than thinking of them as separate disciplines of mathematics.