Introduction to Arithmetic
by Nicomachus of Gerasa · Ἀριθμητικὴ εἰσαγωγή
Assigned by 2 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- c. 100
- Era
- Roman Empire
- Language
- Greek
- Length
- Short · 120 ppunder 120 pages
- Difficulty
- Demanding3 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendIntroduction to Arithmetic, translated by Martin Luther D'OogeGreat Books of the Western World, 1952D'Ooge's 1926 translation is the only complete English version; Great Books volume 10 (11 in the 1990 set) reprints it.
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A handbook of number theory in two books by a Neopythagorean of the late first century, written in Gerasa in Roman Syria. Book I classifies numbers as even and odd, prime and composite, perfect, abundant and deficient, and Book II treats figurate numbers, such as triangular and square, and the arithmetic, geometric and harmonic proportions. Without proofs, it presents number as the pattern of the cosmos, and through Boethius's Latin version it was the standard arithmetic textbook of the Middle Ages.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns Introduction to Arithmetic are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
