its so weird to me how many numerical techniques for solving stuff were developed like before the 1800s. like, if i was an 18th...
its so weird to me how many numerical techniques for solving stuff were developed like before the 1800s. like, if i was an 18th century mathematician and i couldnt solve something analytically i think id just decide it was fundamentally unknowable. can you imagine doing like 100 calculations in a row to try to approximate the solution to a differential equation? with like a fucking quill?
only 100? people had a tremendous appetite for calculations back then.
At its inception the Mathematical Tables Committee was highly representative of the communities it served; later on in its history we see a growing gulf between the mathematical table maker and the user communities. In several instances Mathematical Committee members were making tables primarily because they enjoyed the process of making tables and not wholly for the benefit of the target users.
(from The History of Mathematical Tables)