Teaching the mathematical sciences at French and German universities during the 18th century

In 18th century France and Germany, new textbooks for teaching the mathematical sciences in higher education, which were usually entitled “Cours de Mathématique(s)” and “Mathematische Anfangsgründe”, were published. They are scientific introductory textbooks, which were mainly created to assist teaching the mathematical sciences at universities and to be used by the students. They contain a variety of subjects associated with the wide-ranged label of “mathematical sciences” at that time. This included not only pure, but also applied mathematics, for instance mechanics, statics, and optics. It is remarkable that these textbooks were written in the national languages – French and German. This book provides an overview of the French and German educational systems in the 18th century. We analyze a selection of some of the most used French and German textbooks for teaching the mathematical sciences, their contents, and their pedagogical approaches. Our main aim is to point out the similarities and differences between these textbooks and, as much as possible, between the corresponding educational systems.