Compound interest as described by Jacob Bernoulli (Q902156)

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Compound interest as described by Jacob Bernoulli
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    Compound interest as described by Jacob Bernoulli (English)
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    7 January 2016
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    From the summary (as paraphrased by the reviewer): ``Als Zugang zur Eulerschen Zahl \(e\) ist die sogenannte `stetige Verzinsung' in der elementaren Analysis unverzichtbar. In den Lehrbüchern wird immer wieder eher vage angedeutet, dass die stetige Verzinsung auf Jakob Bernoulli (1655--1705) zurückgeht. Ein konkreter Hinweis dazu fehlt jedoch. Die Einführung der Eulerschen Zahl mit Hilfe der stetigen Verzinsung geschieht dann immer ohne historischen Bezug auf Bernoulli in der modernen Sprache der Analysis nach Cauchy und Weierstraß. Was hat Jakob Bernoulli wirklich zur stetigen Verzinsung gesagt? Dieser Beitrag ist ein Versuch, diese Frage im Hinblick auf Verbesserung der Information für den gymnasialen Mathematikunterricht zu beantworten. Der Verfasser bemüht sich also, die historischen Hintergründe zu verstehen. Als erstes wird der lateinische Urtext von Bernoulli übersetzt. Dann werden die damaligen Auffassungen recherchiert und mit heutigen Denkweisen verglichen. Man erhält didaktische Anregungen für den heutigen Mathematikunterricht, welche dem Leser vielleicht überraschend erscheinen.'' Reviewer's remarks: From the above short survey of the contents by the author, one learns that he deals with a detailed exposition of Jacob Bernoulli's \textit{Quaestiones nonnullae de usuris} (1690), where Bernoulli handels de facto the series \[ a\cdot \sum^\infty_{n=0} {1\over n!}\Biggl({b\over a}\Biggr)^n, \] in relation to a treatment on compound interest. The author proceeds then with the so-called ``geometric application'' of the series, followed by questions how and if Bernoulli did observe whether there was a connection between the notions of ``logarithm'' with a particular differential equation. He concludes with surveying the research in his article as follows (an almost verbatim translation by the reviewer): ``The author states to have found two possible ways, how Bernoulli might have found his sequence dealing with compound interest in \textit{De usuris}. One way runs via the corresponding differential equation with looking at, and comparing of, the coefficients as done by Leibniz in 1693. The other way runs via the ``limit building'' of \((1+{1\over n})^n\) via the binomial sequence. The last possibility cannot be overgone, as Newton did so two decennia earlier than 1690.'' After the author's mathematics, he provides the reader some mathematical-didactical observations and valuable recommendations; very informative. Finally, the number \(e\) written so, was introduced by L. Euler in 1727; in print it did appear in a paper by Euler in 1736 (view [\textit{E. Maor}, \(e\): the story of a number. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press (1994; Zbl 0805.01001)]). The reviewer read with great joy this nice and detailed article.
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    compound interest
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    differential equations
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    infinite sum sequences
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    Jacob Bernoulli
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    Leonard Euler
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    Otto Toeplitz
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    Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
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    Euler number \(e\)
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