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Mathematical Treasure: Penther on Geometry and Surveying

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

Johann Fredrick Penther (1693-1749) was a German mathematician and architect. In 1732 he published his Praxis geometriae, which remained a German language 18th century classic on the geometry of surveying. This image is of the title page for the fourth edition of 1752.

Title page from Praxis geometriae by Johann Fredrick Penther, 1752

The frontispiece depicts Geometry as a queen whose counsel is sought.

Frontispiece from Praxis geometriae by Johann Fredrick Penther, 1752

The images above were obtained through the courtesy of the Erwin Tomash Library on the History of Computing, Charles Babbage Institute, University of Minnesota.

Erwin Tomash (1921-2012) was a pioneering computer scientist, helping launch the U.S. computer industry from the 1940s onward. During the 1970s he became interested in the history of computer science, and founded the Charles Babbage Society, and its research arm, the Charles Babbage Institute. The Institute, an archive and research center, is housed at the University of Minnesota. Its Erwin Tomash Library on the History of Computing began with Tomash's 2009 donation to the Institute of much of his own collection of rare books from the history of mathematics and computing. (Source: Jeffrey R. Yost, Computer Industry Pioneer: Erwin Tomash (1921-2012), IEEE Annals of the History of Computing, April-June 2013, 4-7.)

Index to Mathematical Treasures

Frank J. Swetz (The Pennsylvania State University), "Mathematical Treasure: Penther on Geometry and Surveying," Convergence (August 2018)