HILBERT, DAVID.

Über ternäre definite Formen.

Stockholm, Beijer, 1893. 4to. Bound in contemporary half cloth with gilt lettering to spine. In "Acta Mathematica", Vol, 17, 1883. Entire volume offered. Stamps to title page, otherwise a fine and clean copy. Pp. 169-197. [Entire volume: (6), 416 pp].

First edition. This important paper constitutes Hilbert's own version of part of the solution of his "Mathematische Probleme" listed at the International mathematical Congress in Paris 1900 (as problem 17) on the "Expression of definite forms by squares". "....But since as I have shown, not every definite form can be compounded by addition from squares of forms, the question arises - which I have answered affirmatively for ternary forms (the paper offered here)- whether every definite form may be expressed as a quotient of sums of squares of forms...."

Order-nr.: 49620