• Journal for History of Mathematics
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.55-70
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• 2008

This study is about the Data which is one of Euclid's writing. It dealt with the organization of contents, formal system and mathematical meaning. First, we investigated the organization of contents of the Data. Second, on the basis of this investigation, we analyzed the formal system of the Data. It contains the analysis of described method of definition, proposition, proof and the meaning of 'given'. Third, we explored the mathematical meaning of the Data which can be classified as algebraic point of view, geometric point of view and the opposite point of view to 'The Elements'.

• Journal for History of Mathematics
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.101-114
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• 2006

The content and method of geometry taught in secondary school is rooted in 'Elements' by Euclid. On the other hand, however, there are differences between the content and structure of the current textbook and the 'Elements'. The gaps are resulted from attempts to develop the geometry education. Specially, the content and method for the proportional relations of geometric figures has been varied. In this study, we reviewed the changes of the proportional relations of geometric figures with pedagogical point of view. The conclusion that we came to is that the proportional relations in incommensurable case Is omitted in secondary school. Teacher's understanding about the proportional relations of geometric figures is needed for meaningful geometry education.

• School Mathematics
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.123-138
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• 2008

The objective of this paper is to reveal the cause of failure of New Math in the field of the SMSG area education from the didactical point of view. At first, we analyzed Euclid's (Elements), De Morgan's (Elements of arithmetic), and Legendre's (Elements of geometry and trigonometry) in order to identify characteristics of the area conception in the SMSG. And by analyzing the controversy between Wittenberg(1963) and Moise(1963), we found that the elementariness and the mental object of the area concept are the key of the success of SMSG's approach. As a result, we conclude that SMSG's approach became separated from the mathematical contents of the similarity concept, the idea of same-area, incommensurability and so on. In this account, we disclosed that New Math gave rise to the lack of elementariness and geometrical mental object, which was the fundamental cause of failure of New Math.

• Journal for History of Mathematics
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.55-72
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• 2018

Matteo Ricci and Xu Gwangqi translated the first six Books of Euclid's Elements and published it with the title Jihe Yuanben, or Giha Wonbon in Korean in 1607. It was brought into Joseon as a part of Tianxue Chuhan in the late 17th century. Recognizing that Jihe Yuanben deals with universal statements under deductive reasoning, Jo Tae-gu completed his Juseo Gwan-gyeon to associate the traditional mathematics and the deductive inferences in Jihe Yuanben. Since Jo served as a minister of Hojo and head of Gwansang-gam, Jo had a comprehensive understanding of Song-Yuan mathematics, and hence he could successfully achieve his objective, although it is the first treatise of Jihe Yuanben in Joseon. We also show that he extended the results of Jihe Yuanben with his algebraic and geometric reasoning.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.529-546
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• 2010

This study aims to analyze and criticize the definition of the similarity concept in mathematical texts by investigating mathematical history. At first, we analyzed the definition of Pythagoras, the definition of Euclid's ${\ll}$Elements${\gg}$, the definition of Clairaut's ${\ll}$Elements of geometry${\gg}$, the postulate of Brkhoff's postulates for plane geometry, the definition of Birkhoff & Beatly의 ${\ll}$Basic Geometry${\gg}$. the definition of SMSG ${\ll}$Geometry${\gg}$. and the definition of the similarity concept in current mathematics texts. Then we criticized the definition of the similarity concept in current mathematics texts based on mathematical history. We critically discussed three issues and gave three suggestions.

• Journal for History of Mathematics
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.79-90
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• 2006

The purpose of this paper is to derive the ratios of trigonometric special angles from Euclid's by constructing regular pentagon and decagon. The intention of this paper is started from recognizing that teaching of the special angles in secondary math classroom excessively depends on algebraic approaches rather geometric approaches which are the origin of the trigonometric ratios. In this paper the method of constructing regular pentagon and decagon is reviewed and the geometric relationship between this construction and trigonometric special angles is derived. Through such geometric approach the meaning of trigonometric special angles is analyzed from a geometric perspective and pedagogical ideas of teaching these trigonometric ratios is suggested using history of mathematics.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.351-364
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• 2003

by A.C. Clairaut is the first geometry textbook based on the historico-genetic principle against the logico-deduction method of Euclid's This paper aims to recognize Clairaut's historico-genetic principle by inquiring into this book and to search for its applications to school mathematics. For this purpose, we induce the following five characteristics that result from his principle and give some suggestions for school geometry in relation to these characteristics respectively : 1. The appearance of geometry is due to the necessity. 2. He approaches to the geometry through solving real-world problems.- the application of mathematics 3. He adopts natural methods for beginners.-the harmony of intuition and logic 4. He makes beginners to grasp the principles. 5. The activity principle is embodied. In addition, we analyze the two useful propositions that may prove these characteristics properly.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.27-41
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• 2011

This study is the consideration to 'The Data' and 'On Divisions' of Euclid which is the historical start of analysis and synthesis. 'The Data' and 'On Divisions' compared to Euclid's Elements is not interested. In this study, analysis and synthesis were examined for significance. In this study, means for 'analysis' and 'synthesis' were examined through an analysis of 'The Data' and 'On Divisions'. First, the various terms including analysis and synthesis were examined and the concepts of the terms were analyzed. Then, analysis was divided into 'external analysis' and 'internal analysis'. And synthesis was divided into 'theoretical synthesis' and 'empirical synthesis'. On the basis of this classification problem presented in elementary textbooks and the practical applications were explored.

• Journal for History of Mathematics
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.33-42
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• 2004

In this paper, we identify the essential ideas of Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic(FTA). Then, we compare these ideas with several theorems of Euclid's Elements to investigate whether the essential ideas of FTA are contained in Elements or not. From this, we have the following conclusion: Even though Elements doesn't contain FTA explicitly, it contains all of the essential ideas of FTA. Finally, we assert two reasons why Greeks couldn't mention FTA explicitly. First, they oriented geometrically, and so they understood the concept of 'divide' as 'metric'. So they might have difficulty to find the divisor of the given number and the divisor of the divisor continuously. Second, they have limit to use notation in Mathematics. So they couldn't represent the given composite number as multiplication of all of its prime divisors.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.1-24
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• 2009

The applications of ratio and similarity have been in need of everyday life from ancient times. Euclid's elements Ⅴand Ⅵ cover ratio and similarity respectively. In this note, we have done a comparative analysis to button down the contents of ratio and similarity covered by the math text books used in Korea, Euclid's elements and the math text books used in Japan and America. As results, we can observe some differences between them. When math text books used in Korea introduce ratio, they presented it by showing examples unlike math text books used in America and Japan which present ratio by explaining the definition of it. In addition, in the text books used in Korea and Japan, the order of dealing with condition of similarity of triangles and the triangle proportionality is different from that of the text books used in America. Also, condition of similarity of triangles is used intuitively as postulate without any definition in text books used in Korea and Japan which is different from America's. The manner of teaching depending on the way of introducing learning contents and the order of presenting them can have great influence on student's understanding and application of the learning contents. For more desirable teaching in math it is better to provide text books dealing with various learning contents which consider student's diverse abilities rather than using current text books offering learning contents which are applied uniformly.