《同文算指·叠借互征》内容探析

A Study on Tongwen Suanzhi's Chapter VII : The Ruler of Double False Position

克拉维乌斯的《实用数学概论》是16世纪欧洲实用数学知识的集合,在创作之初即有为世俗阶层提供帮助的目的;而《算法统宗》也是对当时中国数学的汇编整理,尤以珠算等内容而广为流传。这两部东西方实用数学代表作恰好被李之藻所编译的《同文算指》"骈附"其中。这不仅为我们提供了一个比对16世纪末东西方数学的原始样本,同时也使我们有机会窥见时人对数学传播的贡献与观念。本文尝试通过考察《同文算指》"叠借互征"章中所载算题,探讨这一时期东西方数学的优劣长短,推测译者的心态。

Epitome Mathematica Practicae by Clavius is a collection of the European practical mathematical knowledge in the 16th century, which aimed to provide help for ordinary people at the very beginning of its creation, while Suanfa Tongzong(Systematic Treatise on Calculative Rules) by Cheng Dawei is also the compilation of Chinese mathematical knowledge at that time, which has been widely known for the method of abacus calculation. Fortunately, these two masterpieces of Eastern and Western practical mathematics have been included in the Li Zhizao's Tongwen Suanzhi. It will not only offer us an original sample by which we can make a comparison between Western and Eastern mathematics in the late 16th century, but give us access to people's contribution to the promotion of mathematics at that time. Based on the studies of the arithmetic problems included in the Chapter Diejie Huzheng in Tongwen Suanzhi, this paper aims to explore the strengths and weaknesses of Western and Eastern mathematics in the 16th century. Meanwhile, it also attempts to analyze the psychology of the translators of mathematical works at that time.