John Playfair's approach to ``the practical parts of the mathematics'' (Q1711774)

The primary object under investigation here is a rather obscure, minor work by a not very prominent mathematician and geologist of the late 18th century best known for his \textit{Elements of geometry} (1795) and \textit{Illustrations of the Huttonian theory of the Earth} (1802). It is an almost ephemeral nineteen-page pamphlet printed in 1793 entitled \textit{Prospectus of a course of lectures on some of the practical parts of the mathematics}, listing topics that Playfair was apparently proposing as a project but which was never carried out. It is not even clear for what sort of project it was intended -- university course, text, and public lecture series are among the possibilities that are explored. Playfair's correspondence and other publications offer little direct help. However, this dearth of information is turned into a challenging exercise in historical investigation. It is interesting to see how much can be deduced about the author and the mathematics of his time from the few direct clues when they are analyzed in a mathematical, biographical and social context. For example, the ``practical'' nature of the topics leads to an investigation of the composition and status of what was known as ``mixed mathematics''. For the entire collection see [Zbl 1403.01006].