Algebra

Abstract

This chapter is concerned with a single textbook written by Dodgson in 1867—An Elementary Treatise on Determinants. His book concerned the study of determinants, an algebraic construct that had come to the fore during the 19th century, and presented a new method, called the method of condensation, for evaluating them; this method was due to Dodgson and was the subject of his only refereed journal paper. The book also applied his results to the solution of simultaneous linear equations, and included the proof of a theorem describing when a system of linear equations is consistent. The book’s impact and influence are discussed in the concluding section of this chapter.