Subject: Re: [HM] Division of Stakes
From: James Kiernan (jfk49@worldnet.att.net)
Date: Tue Feb 22 2000 - 21:25:52 EST
David,
I know of no readily available English translations of the
Italian sources. I have used quotations from Hacking and Burton
and they seem to differ slightly:
Hacking 5:2 and Burton 5:3 . Since Cardano and Tartaglia discuss
the latter case, I have used that more frequently in talks.
Perhaps, there are several versions.
I have an article on this topic coming out in the Mathematics
Teacher in Nov.( I hope). The article also discusses an "abacist"
manuscript c.1400 which is currently in the Biblioteca Nationale
in Florence. I had the opportunity to see this manuscript last
summer. Unfortunately, my command of renaissance Italian is not
great. However, I did find the passage and it was quite a thrill.
I had a short time with the other Italian works up in Toronto,
but could not find the relevant passages.
Tell me what your working on.
Jim Kiernan
Brooklyn College
On Sun, 20 Feb 2000 12:58:51 -0500 David Kullman wrote:
>
> Pacioli, _Summa_ (1494), may have been the first mathematician to
> publish a solution (incorrect) to the problem of "fair division of
> stakes." Cardano, _Practica arithmeticae generalis_ (1539), and
> Tartaglia, _Tratto generale di numeri e misure_ (1556), criticized
> Pacioli's solution and offered their own (also incorrect) solutions.
>
> Can anybody supply an English translation of the passages from
> Pacioli, Cardano, and/or Tartaglia that pertain to this problem (or
> else point to a readily available English source)?
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