• Journal for History of Mathematics
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.1-14
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• 2009

Since western mathematics and astronomy had been introduced in Chosun dynasty in the 17th century, most of Chosun mathematicians studied Shu li jing yun(數理精蘊) for the western mathematics. In the last two decades of the 19th century, Chosun scholars have studied them which were introduced by Japanese text books and western missionaries. The former dealt mostly with elementary arithmetic and the latter established schools and taught mathematics. Lee Sang Seol(1870~1917) is well known in Korea as a Confucian scholar, government official, educator and foremost Korean independence movement activist in the 20th century. He was very eager to acquire western civilizations and studied them with the minister H. B. Hulbert(1863~1949). He wrote a mathematics book Su Ri(數理, 1898-1899) which has two parts. The first one deals with the linear part(線部) and geometry in Shu li jing yun and the second part with algebra. Using Su Ri, we investigate the process of transmission of western mathematics into Chosun in the century and show that Lee Sang Seol built a firm foundation for the study of algebra in Chosun.

• Korean Journal of Mathematics
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.541-563
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• 2012

Sang-Seol LEE wrote a manuscript HwaHakGyeMongCho(化學啓蒙抄) in the late 19th century. HwaHakGyeMongCho was transcribed from Science Primers: Chemistry (written by H. E. Roscoe), which is translated into Chinese by Joseph Edkins in 1886. LEE did not copy original writing exactly, but he understood the contents of each chapter and sections, then summarized and edited them in his caligraphic writing. In this paper, we introduce the contents for the first time and discuss the significance of this book.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.487-498
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• 2013

Sang-Seol Lee(1870-1917) wrote a manuscript BaekSeungHoCho(百勝胡艸) in the late 19th century. BaekSeungHoCho was transcribed in classical Chinese from the 1879 Japanese book Physics(物理學) by Teizo Ihimori (1851-1916). Sang-Seol Lee, a famous independence activist, is also called Father of the Modern Mathematics Education of Korea, because of his early contribution to the modern mathematics education in the 19th century. In this paper, we introduce contents of his manuscript BaekSeungHoCho for the first time and discuss the significance of this book. Also, we show his contribution on the introduction to modern physics in the late 19th century Korea.

• Journal for History of Mathematics
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.1-24
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• 2010

In 1895, a new school system was introduced in Chosun by the ministry of education HakBu(學部). They published three mathematics textbooks for the new system, GanISaChikMunJeJib(簡易四則問題集) and GeunISanSulSeo(近易算術書) in 1895 and SanSulSinSeo(算術新書) in 1900. Investigating these three books, we show that they played the role of textbooks and gave rise to a pathway of western mathematics into Chosun. Further they greatly influenced the textbooks published in the early 20th century Chosun.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.341-360
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• 2011

This paper deals with contents that Sang-Seol Lee contributed to the natural science in the 19th century Korea. Prof. Sung-Rae Park, the science historian, called Sang-Seol Lee Father of the Modern Mathematics education of Korea. Sang-Seol Lee wrote a manuscript Botany with a brush in late 19th century. Botany was transcribed from Science Primers: Botany (written by J. D. Hooker), which is translated into Chinese by Joseph Edkins in 1886. The existence of Sang-Seol Lee's book Botany was not known to Korean scientists before. In this paper, we study the contents of Botany and its original text. Also we analyze people's level of understanding Western sciences, especially botany at that time. In addition, we study authors of 16 Primers jar Western Knowledge. We study the contribution of mathematician Sang-Seol Lee to science education in the 19th century Korea.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.641-651
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• 2011

In 2007, a Taiwanese mathematics historian Wann-Sheng HORNG made a visit to Kyujanggak(the royal library of Joseon Dynasty) in Seoul, Korea. During this visit, he found the Korean math book An abridged version of the Joseon Mathematics (<數學節要>, Su-Hak-Jeol-Yo), which was written by Jong-Hwa AN(9 Nov 1860 - 24 Nov 1924) in 1882. Then he mentioned the possible importance of AN's book in his article in the Journal Kyujanggak(vol. 32, June 2008). Jong-Hwa AN is a Korean scholar, activist of patriotism and enlightenment in the latter era of Joseon Dynasty. He passed the last examination of Joseon Dynasty to become a high government officer in 1894. The father of the modern mathematics education in Korea, Sang-Seol LEE(1870-1917) also passed the same examination with him. It is interesting that government high officer AN and LEE both wrote mathematics books in 19th century. In this talk, we now analyze this mathematics book of Joseon written in 1882.