Cavalieri's Indivisibles and its Followers

This seminar talk from the Orange County Inland Empire (OCIE) Seminar series in History and Philosophy of Mathematics explores Cavalieri's groundbreaking work on indivisibles and its profound influence on mathematical development. Join Vincent Jullien from Nantes University as he examines how Buonaventura Cavalieri's 1635 publication "Geometria continuorum indivisibilibus" in Bologna sparked a mathematical revolution across Europe, influencing luminaries such as Torricelli, Descartes, Roberval, Barrow, Pascal, Wallis, Mengoli, and Leibniz. Discover how the early 17th century recognition of infinity's role in geometry set the foundation for the differential and integral algorithms that would emerge later in the century. The presentation, delivered at Chapman University's Keck Center as part of a hybrid format seminar co-organized with researchers from UC Riverside, CSU San Bernardino, and Pitzer College, offers a deep historical perspective on this pivotal mathematical development.