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Single Idea 18086

[filed under theme 6. Mathematics / A. Nature of Mathematics / 5. The Infinite / k. Infinitesimals ]

Full Idea

Weierstrass effectively eliminated the infinitesimalist language of his predecessors.

Gist of Idea

Weierstrass eliminated talk of infinitesimals

Source

report of Karl Weierstrass (works [1855]) by Philip Kitcher - The Nature of Mathematical Knowledge 10.6

Book Ref

Kitcher,Philip: 'The Nature of Mathematical Knowledge' [OUP 1984], p.259

The 2 ideas from 'works'

18086 Weierstrass eliminated talk of infinitesimals [Weierstrass, by Kitcher]
18092 Weierstrass made limits central, but the existence of limits still needed to be proved [Weierstrass, by Bostock]