Sec 3 GEP A Maths iLearning 2002 Historical Notes

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Historical Notes on Sets Theory

Historical Background

A history of set theory
Articles on Cantor
Articles on John Venn

HISTORICAL NOTES

set[1] (noun): from Old French sette, from Latin secta �a sect�. The Indo-European root is sec- �to cut,� so a sect was a group �cut off from� the mainstream. The evolved French form sette was less specific; it referred to any group of people or things gathered together. That meaning of set became confused with, and soon merged with, the meaning of the native English homonym set �to put, to place.� People began to think of a set as any collection of things that have been �set down� together for a certain purpose.

Below are some useful links to the origin of set and Venn diagrams.

http://www.groups.dcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/~history/Beginnings_of_set_theory.htm
This article traces the history of set theory.

http://www.groups.dcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/~history/Mathematics/Cantor.html
This article describes Georg Cantor and his work in set.

http://www.groups.dcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/~history/Mathematics/Venn.html
The last article describes John Venn, who invented Venn diagrams to help illustrate classical Greek logic propositions. highlight to pupils some of the important mathematicians who contributed to this field of mathematics.

http://www.combinatorics.org/Surveys/ds5/VennJohnEJC.html

[1] Taken from The Words of Mathematics, An Etymological Dictionary of Mathematical Terms Used in English by Steven Schwartzman

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