1992/03/01 by John Hadley, David Singmaster · 2 citations
Mathematics · #History and Theory of Mathematics
paper · doi:10.2307/3620384
openalex publication_date 1992/03/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/30
An annotated translation of Propositiones ad acuendos juvenes , the oldest mathematical problem collection in Latin, attributed to Alcuin of York In researching the history of recreational mathematics, one finds that the Propositiones ad acuendos juvenes of Alcuin of York is frequently cited as the earliest problem collection in Latin. The text contains 56 problems, including 7 major types of problem which appear for the first time, and 2 major types which appear for me first time in the West. By any standard such a collection is of major historical interest, so it is surprising that a critical edition was not prepared until Folkerts' edition of 1978, and yet more surprising that no English translation has ever been produced.