摘要
我国在代数学方面有着悠久的历史,并且取得了一系列的成就。特别是到了宋元时期,代数学发展达到了高峰,宋元之后,代数学的发展缓和了下来。然而,宋元以后的数学家仍在坚持着传统代数学的研究。虽然中国古代有着丰硕的代数理论,但是却没有统一的数学名词来表示这一学科。随着西方数学的引入,出现了一些艰涩难读的术语来表示代数理论。可是,“代数”这一术语最早出现在西方汉学家伟烈亚力于1853年翻译的《算学启蒙》中。随后,伟烈亚力与李善兰于1859年合译的《代微积拾级》和《代数学》中明确给出了“代数”这一数学术语的含义。再后来,华蘅芳与傅兰雅于1873年合译《代数术》时仍然采用了“代数”这一术语。从此,“代数”成为数学中的专业术语并且一直沿用至今。研究“代数”这一术语的来龙去脉,不仅要厘清术语表述及其含义的历史演变,而且还要揭示术语所表达的数学理论的本质,探赜隐藏于术语之中的数学思想。
China has a long history in the study of algebra and has made a series of achievements.Especially in the Song and Yuan Dynasties,the development of algebra reached its peak.After the Song and Yuan Dynasties,the development of algebra was diminished.However,mathematicians after the Song and Yuan Dynasties continued the study of traditional algebra.Although there were abundant algebraic theories in ancient China,there was no unified mathematical term to express this subject.The term Daishu first appeared in Suan Xue Qi Meng translated by the Western Sinologist Alexander Wylie in 1853 and then clearly defined in Dai Wei Ji Shi Ji and Daishu Xue by Alexander Wylie and Li Shanlan in 1859.The term Daishu was still be used in Daishu Shu translated by Hua Hengfang and John Fryer in 1873.From then on,the term Daishu has become the terminology in mathematics and has been in use ever since.Studying the origin and development of the term Daishu is not only to clarify the historical evolution of the terminology and its meaning,but also to reveal the nature of the mathematical theory expressed by the term and the mathematical ideas hidden in the term.
作者
张必胜
ZHANG Bi-sheng(Institute of Education,Guizhou Normal University,Guiyang 550025,China)
出处
《科学技术哲学研究》
CSSCI
北大核心
2021年第2期85-91,共7页
Studies in Philosophy of Science and Technology
基金
国家社会科学基金资助项目“李善兰传播西方科学历史研究”(16XSS003)。
