Len Berggren

Affiliations with Academic Institutions

Period Position Department Institution

1984 - Current Professor Mathematics Simon Fraser University

1992 Visiting
Scholar History of Science Harvard University

1990 - 1991 Visiting
Scholar History of Science Harvard University

1973 - 1984 Associate
Professor Mathematics and
Statistics Simon Fraser University

Sept.1975 -
Dec. 1976 Visiting
Fellow History of Medicine
and Science Yale University

1963 - 1973 Assistant
Professor Mathematics Simon Fraser University

Sept. 1972 -
May 1973 Visiting
Fellow History of Medicine
and Science
Yale University

Sept. 1968 -
June 1969 Visiting
Lecturer Mathematics University of Warwick

Selected Theses Supervised

Name Degree Title Completed

Underell, John M.A.L.S.* An Enquiry into Human Creativity
2003

Sinclair, Nathalie M.Sc. Applications. of Conic Sections in Ancient Mathematics
1995

Jeffries, William M.A.L.S.* Extended Essays: "Claude Bernard"; "Cartesian Chalk Circle"
1995

Stanley, Daryn M.Sc. The Quadrant in Middle Ages and Renaissance
1994

Van Brummelen, Glen Ph.D. Mathematical Tables in Ptolemy's Almagest
1993

Vogt, David Ph.D. An Informatiion Analysis of Great Plains Medicine Wheels
1990

*M.A.L.S is SFU's Master of Arts in Liberal Studies,
a cohort M.A. program for mid-career professionals.

Current Research Interests

My research centers around reading and translating ancient Greek and medieval Arabic mathematical texts dealing with geometry, mathematical cartography and astronomy, as well as studies of the mathematical ideas in these texts and their historical development.

I have also taught and done research in how the mathematical sciences have affected, and been affected by, human values and cultures including moral, religious and cognitive values.

Selected Refereed Publications

The following list is a representative sample of published articles. For a complete list, click here.

"Tenth-Century Mathematics Through the Eyes of Abu Sahl al-Kuhi" in The Enterprise of Science in Islam: New Perspectives (ed. Jan P. Hogendijk and Abelhamid I. Sabra). Cambridge, Mass. and London: The MIT Press, 2003, pp. 177 - 196.
"From Euclid to Apollonius: Al-Kuhi's Lemmas to the Conics" (jointly with Glen Van Brummelen). Zeitschrift für Geschichte der Arabisch-Islamischen Wissenschaften, Vol. 15, 2003, pp. 165 - 174.
"Ptolemy's Maps as an Introduction to Ancient Science" in Science and Mathematics in Ancient Greek Culture. (C.J. Tuplin and T.E. Rihll, ed's). Oxford, New York, etc.: Oxford University Press (2002), pp. 36 - 55.
"Historical Reflections of Scientific Knowlege: The Case of Medieval Islam" published in Knowledge Across Cultures, Universities East and West. Hubei Education Press & OISE Press, 139-153 (1994). Reprinted in Knowledge Across Cultures: A Contribution to Dialogue Among Civilizations (Ruth Hayhoe and Julia Pan, ed's.) by Comparative Education Research Centre: The University of Hong Kong (2001), 127 - 138.
"Islamic Acquisition of Foreign Sciences: A Cultural Perspective" Amer.J. of Isl. Soc. Sci. 9, 3 (Fall, 1992), 310-324. Reprinted, with minor changes, in Tradition, Transmission, Transformation: Proceedings of Two Conferences on Pre-modern Science held at the University of Oklahoma (F. J. Ragep and S.P. Ragep, ed's.) Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1996, pp. 263-283.
"Ptolemy's Maps of Earth and the Heavens: A New Interpretation", Archive for History of Exact Sciences, Vol. 43, 2, 1991, 133-144.
"Spurious Theorems in Archimedes' Equilibrium of Planes Book I", Archive for History of Exact Sciences, Vol. 16, 2, 87-103 (1976).

Books Published

Pi: A Source Book (3rd Edition - jointly with J. and P. Borwein). New York: Springer-Verlag, 2004.
Ptolemy's Geography: An annotated translation of the theoretical chapters (jointly with Alexander Jones). Princeton and Oxford: Princeton University Press (Hardcover edition: 2000; Paperback edition 2002.)
Mathematics in Medieval Islam. Berlin, Heidelberg, New York: Springer-Verlag, 1986 (p.b. 2004).
Euclid's Phaenomena: A Translation and Study of a Hellenistic Work in Spherical Astronomy. (jointly with R.S.D. Thomas), in the series Sources and Studies in Hellenistic Exact Sciences by Garland Publishing, 1996.
From Ancient Omens to Statistical Mechanics (edited jointly with B.R. Goldstein). Munksgaard: Copenhagen, 1987.

Membership in the Academic Community

Canadian Mathematical Society
History of Science Society
Canadian Society for History and Philosophy of Mathematics (3 times President)
Mathematical Association of America

Awards/Honors

2001 President's (Simon Fraser Univ.) Award for Media and Public Relations
1993 Elected Corresponding Member of Academie Internationale d'histoire des Sciences
Listed in Canadian Who's Who since 1987

Other Interests

Gardening
Fly-fishing
Philately (Cyprus post-independence)

*Period*	*Position*	*Department*	*Institution*
1984 - Current	Professor	Mathematics	Simon Fraser University
1992	Visiting Scholar	History of Science	Harvard University
1990 - 1991	Visiting Scholar	History of Science	Harvard University
1973 - 1984	Associate Professor	Mathematics and Statistics	Simon Fraser University
Sept.1975 - Dec. 1976	Visiting Fellow	History of Medicine and Science	Yale University
1963 - 1973	Assistant Professor	Mathematics	Simon Fraser University
Sept. 1972 - May 1973	Visiting Fellow	History of Medicine and Science	Yale University
Sept. 1968 - June 1969	Visiting Lecturer	Mathematics	University of Warwick

Name	Degree	Title	Completed
Underell, John	M.A.L.S.*	An Enquiry into Human Creativity	2003
Sinclair, Nathalie	M.Sc.	Applications. of Conic Sections in Ancient Mathematics	1995
Jeffries, William	M.A.L.S.*	Extended Essays: "Claude Bernard"; "Cartesian Chalk Circle"	1995
Stanley, Daryn	M.Sc.	The Quadrant in Middle Ages and Renaissance	1994
Van Brummelen, Glen	Ph.D.	Mathematical Tables in Ptolemy's Almagest	1993
Vogt, David	Ph.D.	An Informatiion Analysis of Great Plains Medicine Wheels	1990
*M.A.L.S is SFU's Master of Arts in Liberal Studies, a cohort M.A. program for mid-career professionals.