Abstract
The École Polytechnique of Paris constituted a milestone for the teaching of mathematics, being emblematic in several respects. In this article, we intend to analyze some contributions that are traditionally credited to the Polytechnic School and contrast them with more recent research on these topics. We seek to ascertain the veracity of these reports associated with its mathematical productions and review the context in which they were published, including their repercussions and the results of recent studies. French contributions of the nineteenth century, including the late eighteenth century, were instrumental in the development of mathematics. The notion of rigor in mathematics was going through profound changes. The classical paradigms were faced with new conceptions emerging from the analytical method. The dissemination and application of the analytical method in geometry, mechanics, and infinitesimal calculus was a crucial step to elaborate many mathematical practices we have today. The mathematical analysis was slowly approaching the form it has developed nowadays. There is a very strong connection in the history of mathematics between the changes that happened during the late XVIII / beginning XIX century and the contributions of the French school. Our goal is to contrast some of the widespread myths about the school with the results established by the new historiography. New research on the history of the École Polytechnique (abbreviated as EP), particularly since the Bicentennial of the French Revolution, have revealed new sources in archives, with new methodologies. By supplementing the more recent investigations, we use the Journal de l’École Polytechnique in its first years, to seek publications directly from the school providing evidence for our claims.
Keywords:
History of Mathematics Education; Relation between Teaching and Research; École Polytechnique; Monge; Laplace
