Northern and Southern Dynasties, Sui and Tang Dynasty Mathematics

Author: Ji Zhigang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2000-02-01
Features: From the year 386 when Tuoba Gui proclaimed himself King of Dai, marking the beginning of the Northern Wei, to the year 907 when the last Tang Dynasty emperor was deposed, this span of over 520 years witnessed China's politics shifting from (north-south confrontation) to the unification under the Sui and Tang dynasties. Chinese culture also displayed a blend of the intellectual discourse of the Southern Dynasties, the profound depth of the Northern Dynasties, and the inclusive multiculturalism of the Sui and Tang periods. Against this broad historical backdrop, mathematics during this era, with its new methods, achievements, and directions, revitalized classical mathematics that had flourished since the Qin and Han dynasties, thereby laying a solid foundation for the new creations of Chinese mathematics in the Song and Yuan periods. This book weaves together the temporal sequence as its longitude and the key figures, classic works, representative achievements, and major events as its latitude, striving to present a grand narrative of the development of mathematics during this period.