Leibniz on Binary: The Invention of Computer Arithmetic

Book Description

The first collection of Leibniz’s key writings on the binary system, newly translated, with many previously unpublished in any language.

The polymath Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646-1716) is known for his independent invention of the calculus in 1675. Another major–although less studied–mathematical contribution by Leibniz is his invention of binary arithmetic, the representational basis for today’s digital computing. This book offers the first collection of Leibniz’s most important writings on the binary system, all newly translated by the authors with many previously unpublished in any language. Taken together, these thirty-two texts tell the story of binary as Leibniz conceived it, from his first youthful writings on the subject to the mature development and publication of the binary system.

As befits a scholarly edition, Strickland and Lewis have not only returned to Leibniz’s original manuscripts in preparing their translations, but also provided full critical apparatus. In addition to extensive annotations, each text is accompanied by a detailed introductory “headnote” that explains the context and content. Additional mathematical commentaries offer readers deep dives into Leibniz’s mathematical thinking. The texts are prefaced by a lengthy and detailed introductory essay, in which Strickland and Lewis trace Leibniz’s development of binary, place it in its historical context, and chart its posthumous influence, most notably on shaping our own computer age.

中文：

书名：关于二进制的莱布尼茨: 计算机算术的发明

莱布尼兹 (Leibniz) 关于二进制系统的主要著作的第一批，新翻译，其中许多以前未以任何语言出版。

博学家Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646-1716) 以1675年独立发明微积分而闻名。莱布尼兹 (Leibniz) 的另一个主要 (尽管研究较少) 数学贡献是他对二进制算术的发明，这是当今数字计算的表示基础。这本书提供了莱布尼兹关于二进制系统的最重要著作的第一批集合，所有这些都是由作者新翻译的，许多以前没有以任何语言出版。从莱布尼兹 (Leibniz) 的第一篇关于该主题的年轻著作到二进制系统的成熟发展和出版，这三十二篇文章共同讲述了二进制的故事。

就像一本学术版本一样，斯特里克兰和刘易斯不仅在准备翻译时回到了莱布尼兹的原始手稿，而且还提供了完整的关键设备。除了广泛的注释外，每个文本都附有详细的介绍性 “标题”，以解释上下文和内容。其他数学评论使读者深入了解莱布尼兹的数学思想。这些文本以冗长而详细的介绍性文章作为开头，其中Strickland和Lewis追踪了Leibniz对二进制的发展，将其置于历史背景下，并绘制了其死后的影响，尤其是在塑造我们自己的计算机时代。