1855 | works |
p.98 | 18092 | Weierstrass made limits central, but the existence of limits still needed to be proved | |
Full Idea: After Weierstrass had stressed the importance of limits, one now needed to be able to prove the existence of such limits. | |||
From: report of Karl Weierstrass (works [1855]) by David Bostock - Philosophy of Mathematics 4.4 | |||
A reaction: The solution to this is found in work on series (going back to Cauchy), and on Dedekind's cuts. |
p.259 | 18086 | Weierstrass eliminated talk of infinitesimals | |
Full Idea: Weierstrass effectively eliminated the infinitesimalist language of his predecessors. | |||
From: report of Karl Weierstrass (works [1855]) by Philip Kitcher - The Nature of Mathematical Knowledge 10.6 |