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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Cardano and the Solution of the Cubic.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is the name for determining the area of an enclosed space by constructing a square of equivalent area?
(a) Quadrature.
(b) Triangulation.
(c) Cubation.
(d) Square root.

2. What did Dunham claim about Archimedes's determination of a number value for pi?
(a) Archimedes's number was perfectly correct.
(b) Archimedes's number was very good, considering he did not have a way to calculate square roots.
(c) Archimedes's number was not very accurate, considering the technology of his time.
(d) Archimedes's number could have been better if he had understood Euclid's work better,

3. Who was Neil's Abel?
(a) He demonstrated that Cardano's solution to the cubic was incorrect,
(b) He proved that quintic equations cannot be solved using algebra.
(c) He demonstrated the modern version of the Pythagorean Theorem.
(d) He proved that to solve a quartic equation, one must use more than algebra.

4. What did Dunham consider extraordinary about the Elements?
(a) How Hippocrates ordered the book.
(b) The content was not based on previous authors' work.
(c) How geometric proofs were presented.
(d) The content was totally unique.

5. Who was Heron?
(a) A matematician from Alexanderia.
(b) A politician from Rome.
(c) A philosopher from Greece.
(d) A physician from the far East.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where was Neil's Abel from?

2. Heron's work referred to the work of what other famous scholar?

3. Which of the following was NOT defined by Euclid?

4. After working on pi, what did Archimedes continue with in his study of mathematics?

5. What is a "depressed cubic"?

(see the answer key)

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