Timeline for What is the history of $\sqrt{}$
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
12 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 16, 2013 at 16:19 | comment | added | Uwe Franz | @Emil: maybe it's only me, maybe it's just that my pc is too slow... but that was how the question appeared when I first opened this page: What is the history of "\sqrt{}" --- so that is the first question I saw on this page. | |
| Jan 16, 2013 at 15:02 | comment | added | Emil Jeřábek | Oh, you are talking about the name of the command rather than the actual symbol? That’s not what the OP asked, but anyway, I don’t think that the answer to that question is correct either: sqrt is a name commonly given to the square root function in various programming languages (notably including Pascal, in which TeX was written), and Knuth just followed suit. | |
| Jan 16, 2013 at 14:06 | comment | added | Uwe Franz | @Trimble: Thanks for the explanation, I myself didn't mind the question, otherwise I would not have answered it. But I had the feeling that I have seen similar questions getting closed quite fast. | |
| Jan 16, 2013 at 14:04 | comment | added | Emil Jeřábek | What on earth does Knuth have to do with it??? The square root symbol has been in widespread use for a couple of centuries, and that’s why it was also implemented in TeX, not the other way round. | |
| Jan 16, 2013 at 14:04 | history | edited | Uwe Franz | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
deleted 78 characters in body
|
| Jan 16, 2013 at 13:39 | comment | added | Todd Trimble | @Uwe: history of mathematics questions are generally honored here, but with some caveats (which are hard to summarize, but some involve the feasibility of obtaining definitive answers); they are best judged on a case-by-case basis. It should be recognized, though, that such questions commonly arise in mathematics research, as when one is trying to write historical notes in research monographs. | |
| Jan 16, 2013 at 13:13 | history | edited | Uwe Franz | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
deleted 64 characters in body
|
| Jan 16, 2013 at 13:13 | comment | added | Uwe Franz | Sorry, I just copied and pasted that sentence from the first wikipedia page whose link I provided. I didn't cross check the part about + and -. | |
| Jan 16, 2013 at 13:11 | comment | added | user9072 | Tangential but: I doubt the information regarding + and - is correct. (Indeed, one of the links you give agrees with me.) | |
| Jan 16, 2013 at 13:05 | comment | added | Todd Trimble | The last sentence seems a little harsh. The question itself seems perfectly reasonable to me (even if the answer is not difficult to find). @Rita: there is more information at jeff560.tripod.com/operation.html. | |
| Jan 16, 2013 at 12:51 | vote | accept | CommunityBot | ||
| Jan 16, 2013 at 12:47 | history | answered | Uwe Franz | CC BY-SA 3.0 |