The Rise and Fall of Descriptive Geometry in Denmark

Abstract

The history of descriptive geometry in Denmark is primarily a story of teaching and its institutional setting. Only at the very end did a Danish mathematician contribute original research to the story. The subject was introduced in Denmark around 1830 in connection with the foundation of two new colleges, one civil and one military that were both inspired by the École polytechnique. The subject continued to be taught at the civil polytechnic college for about a century, after which descriptive geometry disappeared from Danish education. At the very end of the period, Hjelmslev’s geometry of reality added an original approach to Danish descriptive geometry; otherwise Danish descriptive geometers limited themselves to importing new ideas from abroad, in particular from France and Germany. However, Danish textbooks and exam questions bear witness to a high theoretical level of the descriptive geometry education in Copenhagen.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationDescriptive Geometry, The Spread of a Polytechnic Art : The Legacy of Gaspard Monge
EditorsÉvelyne Barbin, Marta Menghini, Klaus Volkert
PublisherSpringer
Publication date2019
Pages255-274
Chapter15
ISBN (Print)978-3-030-14807-2
ISBN (Electronic)978-3-030-14808-9
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2019
SeriesInternational Studies in the History of Mathematics and its Teaching
ISSN2524-8022

Cite this