On Green’s theorem: a visual history through textbooks and other printed matter

Although Green’s theorem, currently considered one of the cornerstones of multivariate calculus, was published in 1828, its widespread introduction into calculus textbooks can be traced back to the first decades of the twentieth century, when vector calculus emerged as a slightly autonomous discipline. In addition, its contemporary version (and its demonstration), currently found in several calculus textbooks, is the result of some adaptations during its almost 200 years of life. Comparing some books and articles from this long period, I would like to discuss in this lecture the didactic adaptations, the editorial strategies and visual representations that shaped the theorem in its current form.