Mathematical Treasure: Euler's Maxima and Minima of Curved Lines

In 1744, Leonhard Euler published Methodus Inveniendi Lineas Curvas, where he amplified the premise that every curve along its path has a maximum or a minimum. He gave examples and solutions for over one hundred different situations.

The text begins with a list of definitions:

Some examples of the problems Euler considered are given on pages 51-53.

The images above are presented courtesy of ETH-Bibliothek Zürich and are available via e-rara.

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