O surgimento da Geometria Analítica no século XVII: debate histórico sobre questões referentes a sua descoberta

Abstract

The overall objective of this research is the investigation of the factors that contributed to the discovery of analytic geometry was attributed to Descartes uniquely by some historians of mathematics. The initial hypothesis is that Descartes was an intellectual known throughout Europe, especially for having studied in the respected Jesuit College of La Flèche, because of that he held a symbolic capital much higher than that of Fermat in Mersenne circle. Hence according to the sociological theory of Bourdieu scientific ambition of La Flèche wise it was higher than that of Fermat, which made the Geometry was published in life through Descartes while the Introduction only circulated among mathematicians in the circle Mersenne in manuscript form. The posthumous publication of Introduction in 1679 there was no impact in scientific circles of the time, because the language used by Fermat was overtaken by still contain abbreviations. In Geometry Descartes had created an essentially symbolic language that was gradually accepted by mathematicians in terms of conformity to algebraic developments from the time of its publication. In addition to these mentioned factors, we investigated the possibility of Descartes more inserted into the social and technological context of the time, as if all his philosophical treatises and relevant scientific and after the Discourse on Method had a load influence of mechanical principles, it was natural, Grossmann assumed that Descartes has also applied the same mechanical principles in the constitution of his instrument for the unification of all the sciences, the symbolic algebra