17th and 18th century European arithmetic in an 18th century Icelandic manuscript

Abstract

Icelandic arithmetic books from the 18th century, printed and in manuscripts, adhered to the European structure of practical arithmetic textbooks, formed in the late Middle Ages: The number concept, numeration, the four operations in whole numbers and fractions, monetary and measuring units, extraction of roots, ratio, progressions and proportions. A manuscript textbook, Arithmetica – That is reckoning art, dated in 1721, deviates from the general model in that it does not treat monetary and measuring units but includes theoretical sections on the number concept and common notions on arithmetic. No specific model for the manuscript has been spotted, while similarities to works by authors as Ramus, Stevin, Suevus, Meichsner and Euler were found.