Mathematical instrument
Encyclopedia
A mathematical instrument is a tool or device used in the study or practice of mathematics
.
Most instruments are used within the field of geometry
, including the ruler
, dividers, protractor
, set square
, compass
, ellipsograph and opisometer
. Others are used in arithmetic
(for example the abacus
, slide rule
and calculator
) or in algebra
(the integraph
).
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
.
Most instruments are used within the field of geometry
Geometry
Geometry arose as the field of knowledge dealing with spatial relationships. Geometry was one of the two fields of pre-modern mathematics, the other being the study of numbers ....
, including the ruler
Ruler
A ruler, sometimes called a rule or line gauge, is an instrument used in geometry, technical drawing, printing and engineering/building to measure distances and/or to rule straight lines...
, dividers, protractor
Protractor
In geometry, a protractor is a circular or semicircular tool for measuring an angle or a circle. The units of measurement utilized are usually degrees.Some protractors are simple half-discs; these have existed since ancient times...
, set square
Set square
A set square or triangle is an object used in engineering and technical drawing, with the aim of providing a straightedge at a right angle or other particular planar angle to a baseline....
, compass
Compass (drafting)
A compass or pair of compasses is a technical drawing instrument that can be used for inscribing circles or arcs. As dividers, they can also be used as a tool to measure distances, in particular on maps...
, ellipsograph and opisometer
Opisometer
An opisometer, also called a curvimeter, meilograph or map measurer, is an instrument for measuring the lengths of arbitrary curved lines....
. Others are used in arithmetic
Arithmetic
Arithmetic or arithmetics is the oldest and most elementary branch of mathematics, used by almost everyone, for tasks ranging from simple day-to-day counting to advanced science and business calculations. It involves the study of quantity, especially as the result of combining numbers...
(for example the abacus
Abacus
The abacus, also called a counting frame, is a calculating tool used primarily in parts of Asia for performing arithmetic processes. Today, abaci are often constructed as a bamboo frame with beads sliding on wires, but originally they were beans or stones moved in grooves in sand or on tablets of...
, slide rule
Slide rule
The slide rule, also known colloquially as a slipstick, is a mechanical analog computer. The slide rule is used primarily for multiplication and division, and also for functions such as roots, logarithms and trigonometry, but is not normally used for addition or subtraction.Slide rules come in a...
and calculator
Calculator
An electronic calculator is a small, portable, usually inexpensive electronic device used to perform the basic operations of arithmetic. Modern calculators are more portable than most computers, though most PDAs are comparable in size to handheld calculators.The first solid-state electronic...
) or in algebra
Algebra
Algebra is the branch of mathematics concerning the study of the rules of operations and relations, and the constructions and concepts arising from them, including terms, polynomials, equations and algebraic structures...
(the integraph
Integraph
An Integraph is an instrument used in mathematics for plotting the integral of a graphically defined function.It was invented independently about 1880 by the British physicist Sir Charles Vernon Boys and by Bruno Abakanowicz, a Polish-Lithuanian mathematician from the Russian Empire.An integraph...
).
See also
- The Construction and Principal Uses of Mathematical InstrumentsThe Construction and Principal Uses of Mathematical InstrumentsThe Construction and Principal Uses of Mathematical Instruments is a book by Nicholas Bion, first published in 1709. It was translated into English in 1723 by Edmund Stone....
- Oxford Set of Mathematical InstrumentsOxford Set of Mathematical InstrumentsThe Oxford Set of Mathematical Instruments is a set of instruments used by generations of school children in the United Kingdom and around the world in mathematics and geometry lessons...
- Measuring instrumentMeasuring instrumentIn the physical sciences, quality assurance, and engineering, measurement is the activity of obtaining and comparing physical quantities of real-world objects and events. Established standard objects and events are used as units, and the process of measurement gives a number relating the item...