The Infinite and Infinitesimal Quantities of du Bois-Reymond and their Reception

The mixed fortunes of PAUL DU BOIS-REYMOND'S infinitary calculus and ideal boundary between convergence and divergence are traced from 1870 to 1914. CANTOR, DEDEKIND, PEANO, RUSSELL, PRINGSHEIM and others objected. STOLZ, BOREL, HARDY and others accepted, at least in part, and built further. HAUSDORFF to some extent effected a compromise. The differing attitudes of the different participants toward infinitesimals and infinitely large quantities are described. In addition to shedding some light on the status of infinites, the whole story serves as a study of mathematical change, and shows that the "proof-refutation" process described by LAKATOS is only one aspect of mathematical development. The story also sheds some light on the rise of 20 th century functional analysis, algebra and topology.