Single Idea 17782

[catalogued under 6. Mathematics / A. Nature of Mathematics / 4. Using Numbers / b. Quantity]

Full Idea

Quantities for Greeks were concrete things - lines, surfaces, solids, times, weights. At the centre of their science of quantity was the beautiful theory of ratio and proportion (...in which the notion of number does not appear!).

Gist of Idea

Greek quantities were concrete, and ratio and proportion were their science

Source

John Mayberry (What Required for Foundation for Maths? [1994], p.407-2)

Book Reference

'Philosophy of Mathematics: anthology', ed/tr. Jacquette,Dale [Blackwell 2002], p.407


A Reaction

[He credits Eudoxus, and cites Book V of Euclid]

Related Idea

Idea 17781 Real numbers were invented, as objects, to simplify and generalise 'quantity' [Mayberry]