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Mathematical Treasure: Francis Maseres’s Doctrine of Permutations

Author(s): 
Frank J. Swetz (The Pennsylvania State University)

This is the title page of The Doctrine of Permutations and Combinations, being an essential and fundamental part of the Doctrine of Chance, compiled and published by Francis Maseres, in London in 1795. Maseres (1731–1824) was a London solicitor and minor mathematician. In this book, he collects some of the writings of leading mathematicians of his time dealing with permutations and chance. Its contents include:

Title page for Maseres's 1795 treatise on permutations and chance.

On pages 282 and 283, Maseres began a discussion of Newton’s Binominal Theorem.

Page 227 of Maseres's treatise, describing the binomial theorem.Page 228 of Maseres's treatise, describing the binomial theorem.

The images above are presented courtesy of the University of Pennsylvania Libraries.

See images of Maseres’ Doctrine of Permutations from the Columbia University Libraries.

Index to Mathematical Treasures

Frank J. Swetz (The Pennsylvania State University), "Mathematical Treasure: Francis Maseres’s Doctrine of Permutations," Convergence (July 2016)