Mathematical Treasure: Karl Fink’s History of Mathematics

Karl Fink (1851-1898) was a German medical doctor. He taught mathematics in a high school and wanted to help students understand the origins of mathematics. To provide an aid for eliminating this mystery, he wrote his Kurzer Abriss einer Geschichte der Elementar-Mathematik (Brief History of Elementary Mathematics) in 1890.

The Table of Contents provides the scope of the history covered, including numerals and number systems, arithmetic, algebra, geometry and trigonometry.

The images above were obtained through the courtesy of the University of California Libraries. The book may be viewed in its entirety in the Internet Archive.

Index to Mathematical Treasures