History of mathematics for teachers -- reasons and examples (Q1921941)

After surveying some of the benefits for teaching of historical examples, the author summaries a course given for school-teachers at Bielefeld University, based on twelve theorems from Hippocrates to Cantor. He then presents in more detail two cases: Newton's generation of the binomial theorem for positive rational exponents, and Cantor's establishment of this theory of transfinite ordinal numbers. The article is completed by a proposed model of hermeneutic discourse at both the mathematical level and the historical meta-level, and by original texts of Newton and Cantor.