Workshop: Euclid's Elements and Practical Mathematics in Early Modern Europe
This workshop investigates the interactions between Euclid’s Elements and practical mathematics in early modern Europe. It focuses on how Euclidean propositions, concepts, and styles were appropriated, adapted, and transformed in practical mathematical treatises aimed at artisans, surveyors, and other non-academic audiences, as well as how the Elements itself was reshaped to suit practical purposes and to incorporate empirical and professional applications of geometry. Particular attention will be given to the influence of the Euclidean model on the structure, language, and visual presentation of practical mathematical works, and to the ways in
which certain vernacular adaptations reconfigured the Elements to align with the needs of readers engaged in practical and technical activities. By examining these processes of transformation, the workshop aims to contribute to a better understanding of the circulation of mathematical knowledge across social, linguistic, and disciplinary boundaries in the early modern period.
Conference schedule:
Thursday May 22, 2025, 2 pm – 6 pm CET
Friday May 23, 2025, 9 am – 5:45 pm CET
Conference Venue:
Bergische Universität Wuppertal
Interdisziplinäre Zentrum für Wissenschafts- und Technikforschung
Glanzstoffhaus, Kasinostraße 19-21
42103 Wuppertal
Organizers: Angela Axworthy and Thomas Morel
In-person and online registration: axworthy@uni-wuppertal.de
This workshop is funded by the DFG as part of the Franco-German ANR-DFG project EUCLIDES. Euclid in the Modern Age. A History of Cross-Cultural Transmissions, Translations and Transformations of the Elements
The workshop will also be held online.
