A computational approach to George Boole's discovery of mathematical logic

This paper reports a computational model of Boole's discovery of Logic as a part of Mathematics. George Boole (1815–1864) found that the symbols of Logic behaved as algebraic symbols, and he then rebuilt the whole contemporary theory of Logic by the use of methods such as the solution of algebraic equations. Study of the different historical factors that influenced this achievement has served as background for our two main contributions: a computational representation of Boole's Logic before it was mathematized; and a production system, BOOLE2, that rediscovers Logic as a science that behaves exactly as a branch of Mathematics, and that thus validates to some extent the historical explanation. The system's discovery methods are found to be general enough to handle three other cases: two versions of a Geometry due to a contemporary of Boole, and a small subset of the Differential Calculus.Publicad

The early development of the reflecting telescope in Britain

The first effective demonstration of a telescope using reflecting optics was made by Isaac Newton, and his invention was given wide- spread publicity by the Royal Society of London in 1672. Newtonts instrument was closely associated with the introduction of his new theory of the nature of white light and colour, and for Newton his telescopes practicability remained important to the acceptance of his optical theory. Newtonts telescope, influenced to some extent by the earlier work of James Gregory, encouraged the Royal Society to promote more ambitious trials, but instruments by Robert Hooke and Christopher Cock, and by Newton himself, achieved only limited success.Renewed interest in the reflector followed its re- emergence in Newtonts Opticks of 1704. John Hadleyes successful revival of Newtones instrument led in turn to the establishment in London of competitive commercial manufacture of reflectors in the early 18th century, and by 1710 the market was dominated by the instruments of James Short.Contemporary references to the reflecting telescopes of Newton and others have been analysed to allow the historical development of this work to be established more reliably, and to propose a relation- ship between the various instruments that may be ascribed to Newton. The emphasis has therefore been placed on the instrumentation itself, on practical detail, and on questions of provenance

Spartan Daily, December 9, 1969

Volume 57, Issue 50https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/spartandaily/5199/thumbnail.jp

On the temporal interpretation of noun phrases

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Linguistics and Philosophy, 1995.Includes bibliographical references (p. 221-231).by Renate Musan.Ph.D

Temporal implicatures

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Linguistics and Philosophy, 2012.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 207-213).This dissertation proposes a theory of temporal implicatures, and applies it to the study of tense in Mbyá Guaraní. It is composed of two parts. In the first one, I discuss the analyses of temporal implicatures developed by Musan (1995, 1997) and Magri (2009). Although I argue in favor of Magri's (2009) analysis, I reject two aspects of his proposal: that tense is universally or generically quantified in individual level sentences, and that the present tense is vacuous (following Sauerland 2002). Building on the semantics of tense presented in chapter 2, I propose a revision of Magri's analysis in chapter 3, which integrates Katzir's (2008) theory of structurally defined alternatives, and relies on a more conservative non-vacuous analysis of the present. Sauerland's (2002) arguments that the present tense is vacuous are criticized in chapter 5. In the second part of the dissertation, I study the expression and interpretation of tense in Mbyá. Like its close relative Paraguayan Guarani, Mbyá has two temporal morphemes -kue and -rã that can be used either in clauses or inside noun phrases. However, the nominal uses of -kue and -rã license inferences that are not attested in their clausal uses. This lead Tonhauser (2006, 2007, 2011b) to argue that the nominal uses of -kue and -rã are not tenses, and that Paraguayan Guarani is a tenseless language. I challenge both of these claims in Mbyá. After presenting a descriptive overview of the expression of tense in Mbyá in chapter 6, I argue in chapter 7 that -kue in its clausal uses is best analyzed as a relative past tense, and -rã as a future oriented modal. I conclude that Mbyá is not a tenseless language. In chapter 8, I propose a unified analysis of nominal and clausal uses of -kue and -rã. I argue that the special properties of their nominal uses are due to the interaction between temporal implicatures and independently attested presuppositions of noun phrases. I show that these temporal implicatures are also attested in clausal uses of -kue and -rã, although they are obligatory in their nominal uses, while they can be blocked in their clausal uses. I propose an explanation of this contrast.by Guillaume Thomas.Ph.D

Laurentius Valla (1407-1457): Renaissance Critic and Biblical Theologian

When Laurentius Valla penned those words, he was writing the fuse scientific treatise on Latin grammar since John Duns Scotus. Leonardo Bruni died in the same year Valla’s treatise appeared. The year 1444 marks the return of Renaissance scholars to a philological analysis of classical texts. This method, which Valla soon applied to Biblical study, revolutionized medieval Biblical scholarship in the century before Trent. Valla\u27s purpose was to revitalize Catholic faith. Protestants and Catholics still owe their fresh awareness of Scripture to the labors of Valla

Traveller\u27s comments on Virginia taverns, ordinaries and other accomodations from 1750 to 1812

This paper will attempt to point out the comments or the various travellers in Virginia concerning the functions of public houses from 1750 to lP.12. The travellers as individuals had their prejudices, inaccuracies, and contradictions, but their remarks, on tho other hand, help to give a valuable on the scene picture of this area of early Virginia history. Traveller\u27s comments on hospitality and transportation, two areas which greatly influenced the state\u27s public houses, will also be included to form e better perspective, and on occasion laws, newspapers and other articles will be used to clarify and expend various topics mentioned by the travellers