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abstract: ADAM MOSLEY Scientific
instruments and the teaching of Mathematics and Astronomy in the 16th
century
The question that I propose to raise in my paper is to what extent, and in what ways, instruments were employed in mathematical instruction in early-modern Europe. The question is one which comes in variant forms: to what extent did instruments function as pedagogic tools in the teaching of mathematics, to what extent were they seen as a domain of mathematical study in their own right, and to what extent was attention given to instruments because of the mathematics they instantiated? My interest in this set of questions derives from my work on the instrument-literature of the 16th-century, particularly the literature relating to astronomical instruments. Answering them is part of my ongoing endeavour to understand why so many books about instruments were produced in this period, and by whom and for what purposes they were used. I will therefore consider the problematic nature of the genre of the instrument-book, before moving on to discuss the various types of evidence which may shed light on the educational uses of instruments and their associated literature. Rather than providing a definitive answer to the questions I have raised, my objective will be to show how, with patience and persistence, we may hope to develop a clear picture from the often fragmentary evidence available. 
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