Mathematical Treasures - Cavalieri's Plane and Spherical Trigonometry

In 1643 Bonaventura Cavalieri published Trigonometria Plana et Sphaerica, Linearis, & Logarithmica, in which he introduced the concept of logarithms into Italy. The book contained a table of logarithms for numbers up to 1000. The logarithms were given to seven decimal places. Also in this book, he gave a defense of his theory of indivisibles, which had come under attack.

The frontispiece for Trigonometria.

On page 29, Cavalieri began his discussion of spherical trigonometry.

For more works by Cavalieri in Mathematical Treasures, see his Geometria indivisibilibus and Exercitationes geometricae sex.

These images from its George Arthur Plimpton Collection are presented through the courtesy of the Columbia University Libraries.

Index to Mathematical Treasures