Mathematical Treasure: Sturm's Elements of Mathematics

Johann Christoph Sturm (1635–1703) was a German mathematician and philosopher. He taught at the University of Altdorf, which had been founded in 1622 to serve the needs of nearby Nuremberg. He was the author of many books on mathematics and the natural sciences. Mathesis Enucleata (1689, The Elements of Mathematics) was written as a textbook for his students.

The first page of the mathematical text.

A reader made extensive notes on the author’s introduction.

A digitization of the copy owned by the University of Michigan is available from GoogleBooks.

The title page of the 1695 second edition is shown below.

This printing of Mathesis Enucleata was lavishly illustrated with forty-nine copper plate prints, some of which are shown above (p. 217) and below (p. 268). The reader can attempt to determine the particular mathematical situation and/or problem depicted.

Images of the 1695 second edition are presented courtesy of Archives and Special Collections, Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania. You may use them in your classroom and/or for private study; for all other purposes, please seek permission from Archives and Special Collections, Waidner-Spahr Library, Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA.

In 1700, the text was translated into English.

A full digitization of its copy is available from the Wellcome Library.

Index of Mathematical Treasures