144 Normat 53:3, 144 (2005)

Summary in English

Uffe Thomas Jankvist and Nesli-

han Saßlanmak, What did they seek

and what did they find? Combinatoric

solutions for algebraic equations – from

Cardano to Cauchy – Part 2 (Danish).

A history of algebraic equation solving

tions in algebraic equation solving, sur-

vey the methods of Lagrange, Ruffini

and Cauchy. The authors point to three

different approaches to algebraic equa-

tion solving; (1) symmetric functions of

roots, (2) substitutions, change of vari-

abels and elimination, and (3) the use

of n-th roots of unity and Lagrange re-

solvents. The authors conclude that the

work on algebraic equation solving in

orem to (4n + 2)-gons (Norwegian).

A classic theorem of Pascal states that

opposing sides of a hexagon inscribed in

a conic section meet in three collinear

points. The author reformulates this re-

sult, and generalizes it to (4n + 2)-gons.

Lars Kristiansen, The countable and

the over-countable (Norwegian).

The paper gives a nontechnical intro-

duction to the Continuum Hypothesis

and some related mathematical con-

cepts, such as uncountable sets and

With an equiangular (logarithmic) spi-

ral as the point of departure, the au-

thors design a mathematical model of

a Nautilus shell. They establish a close

connection in the model between the

equiangular spiral and the golden angle.