Exceptions and counterexamples: understanding Abel's comment on Cauchy's theorem

DOI10.1016/J.HM.2004.11.010MaRDI QIDQ2576314zbMATH OpenOpenAlexWikidataFDO

Authors Henrik Kragh Sørensen

Publication date 27 December 2005

Published in Historia Mathematica (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hm.2004.11.010

zbMATH Keywords

Abel Cauchy's theorem concept-centered counterexample critical revision degen exception formula-centered

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

History of mathematics in the 19th century (01A55) History of sequences, series, summability (40-03)

Review text

The author compares the approach of Abel to the new mathematical analysis of the 1820s as then being founded by Cauchy. As is well known, he criticised Cauchy for lack of rigour on a famous apparently false theorem on the convergence of an infinite series of continuous functions. He situates the criticism within ``the transformation from a \textit{formula-centered} to a \textit{concept-centered} approach to the subject. He also discusses results of the time by some contemporaries, including ones centred upon formulae. He discusses the use at that time of the word ``exception; the alternative ``counter-example seems to be of much later origin, indeed fairly recent.

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