History of Mathematics: Models and Visualization in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences

Abstract

This workshop brought together historians of mathematics and science as well as mathematicians to explore important historical developments connected with models and visual elements in the mathematical and physical sciences. It addressed the larger question of what has been meant by a model, a notion that has seldom been subjected to careful historical study. Most of the talks dealt with case studies from the period 1800 to 1950 that covered a number of analytical, geometrical, mechanical, astronomical, and physical phenomena. The workshop also considered the role of visual thinking as a component of mathematical creativity and understanding.