History of total variation of a function
ID: history-of-total-variation-of-a-function
Camille Jordan developed bounded variation as part of his work in real analysis; his treatment of functions and arc length was part of the influence of his analysis textbooks.[ref]
Marie Ennemond Camille Jordan by John Joseph O'Connor and Edmund Frederick Robertson. Discussion of Jordan's analysis textbooks, bounded variation and definition of curve length; biography by J. J. O'Connor and E. F. Robertson, last updated March 2001
The Jordan decomposition of a function of bounded variation expresses the underlying idea especially well: complicated changes of direction can be separated into two functions that only increase. New to topics? Read the docs here!