Conflicts Between Generalization, Rigor, and Intuition: Number Concepts Underlying the Development of Analysis in 17th-19th Century France and Germany

This book deals with the development of the terms of analysis in the 18th and 19th centuries, the two main concepts being negative numbers and infinitesimals. Schubring studies often overlooked texts, in particular German and French textbooks, and reveals a much richer history than previously thought while throwing new light on major figures, such as Cauchy.