Topics in the History of Mathematics: The Liberation of Algebra (1987)

The Liberation of Algebra

In Ireland during the 19th century, the fundamental work of Hamilton and Boole freed algebra from its dependency on arithmetic. Filmed entirely in Ireland, this programme looks at the work of William Rowan Hamilton in Dublin and George Boole in Cork. From Hamilton’s discovery of quaternions to Boole’s ‘The Laws of Thought’, Graham Flegg reviews the developments of their work in the field of astro-physics and computer design.