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While the study of mathematics is typically focused on learning how to apply mathematical operations and formulas, it's also important to learn about its history beyond just shapes and numbers. To fully grasp and appreciate the subject, we need to look at the famous mathematicians who shaped math as we know it today, paving the way for modern engineering, technology, astronomy, and space exploration.
Curious? Click on to discover some famous names in mathematics and their contributions to the world.
One of the most famous mathematicians from Ancient Greece, Thales of Miletus used geometry to calculate the heights of pyramids and measure the distance from ships to the shore. He also discovered five geometric theorems.
Anaxagoras was a mathematician and astronomer who discovered the exact clarification of eclipses. He also attempted to explain rainbows and meteors.
Pythagoras is best known for the Pythagorean theorem, which is today one of the cornerstones of the field of geometry. His contributions changed the way that mathematicians think and understand triangular relationships.
Xenocrates was an ancient Greek philosopher and mathematician. All of his books were based on the theory of numbers and geometry.
Aristotle was a great scholar who had vast knowledge in various areas, including mathematics. He famously combined mathematics and philosophy in his treatises.
An ancient Greek mathematician in Alexandria, Euclid is regarded today as the "Father of Geometry" and many of his theorems are still used today.
Archimedes was an ancient Greek mathematician from the Sicilian city of Syracuse. He worked in geometry, making discoveries about spheres, cylinders, circles, and parabolas. He is also known as the inventor of pulleys and pumps.
Eratosthenes was known for his incredibly exact calculations. He accurately calculated the Earth's circumference and axis tilt over 2,000 years ago.
Diocles was a geometer and mathematician, renowned for his discovery of the subdivision of geometry.
Hipparchus is known first for his astronomy. In math, he developed trigonometry, built trigonometric tables, and solved problems of spherical trigonometry.
Hero of Alexandria (or Heron of Alexandria) was an ancient Greek mathematician and engineer. He was the one who discovered the square root of numbers, and in today's mathematics, his formula is known as Heron's formula.
Ptolemy was an Alexandrian mathematician, known for applying math to astronomy. He also applied theorems of spherical trigonometry to astrological problems.
The first female mathematician whose life was reasonably well recorded, Hypatia was a prominent thinker in Alexandria. She taught philosophy and astronomy.
Al-Khwarizmi was a famous Persian scholar who made numerous contributions to mathematical thought. The word "algorithm" is derived from Al-Khwarizmi's name, as he is credited with introducing algebraic concepts to the West.
An Italian mathematician from the Republic of Pisa, Fibonacci is credited with introducing the Hindu-Arabic numeral system to Europe, which is used to this day.
Girolamo Cardano was an Italian polymath who is well known for his achievements in algebra. In his 1545 book 'Ars Magna,' he made the first systematic use of negative numbers in Europe.
Blaise Pascal was a French child prodigy who was educated by his father. In math, he worked on the arithmetic triangle and set the foundation for future geometry. He invented some of the first mathematical calculators, and is also regarded as the founder of probability.
One of the most famous polymaths in history, Isaac Newton discovered calculus. He also developed a method for approximating the roots of a function, and classified most of the cubic plane curves.
Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler was a pioneer in his field and published close to 900 books. He invented functional notation, f(x), and developed the trigonometric functions to show sine, cosine, and tangent.
Despite facing adversity as a female mathematician in the 18th and 19th century Paris, Sophie Germain still became one of the most famous mathematicians in history. Her greatest contributions came in the fields of number theory and elasticity theory.
Carl Friedrich Gauss was a German mathematician who made significant contributions to the fields of statistics, differential equations, and number theory. He was director of the Göttingen Observatory and professor of astronomy from 1807 until his death in 1855.
Georg Cantor was a German-Russian mathematician who introduced the concept of infinite numbers with his discovery of cardinal numbers. He also advanced the study of trigonometric series.
Despite having no formal math education or training, Srinivasa Ramanujan (center), an Indian mathematician, taught himself complex mathematics. He made substantial contributions to mathematical analysis, number theory, infinite series, and continued fractions.
Emmy Noether was a German mathematician whose innovations in higher algebra gained her recognition as one of the most prominent mathematicians in the 20th century. Her greatest contribution to the field was Noether's Theorem, which links the properties of symmetry with the laws of conservation.
Albert Einstein is best known for his contributions to the field of theoretical physics, but he made significant contributions to the field of mathematical physics as well, including his groundbreaking theory of relativity.
English mathematician Alan Turning introduced the concept of a universal machine, also known as a Turing machine, which performed thousands of calculations. Also, Turing is credited with helping the Allies to defeat the Nazis in World Word II, when he helped to decode the German Enigma code.
Shakuntala Devi, an Indian mathematician, was known as the Human Computer. Due to her incredible mental math abilities, she earned a place in the Guinness Book of World Records.
A true trailblazer in mathematics, Katherine Johnson made many important contributions to NASA spaceflight missions, including figuring out the paths for the spacecraft to orbit the Earth and to land on the Moon.
Terence Tao is an Australian-American mathematician known for his research on representation theory, harmonic analysis, combinatorics, and partial differential equations. He has been the author or co-author of over 300 research papers, for which he is widely regarded as one of the greatest living mathematicians.
Sources: (The Guardian) (Cue Math) (We Are Teachers)
Famous mathematicians who changed the world
The intellectual giants who brought number theory, geometry, and more to the world
LIFESTYLE Mathematics
While the study of mathematics is typically focused on learning how to apply mathematical operations and formulas, it's also important to learn about its history beyond just shapes and numbers. To fully grasp and appreciate the subject, we need to look at the famous mathematicians who shaped math as we know it today, paving the way for modern engineering, technology, astronomy, and space exploration.
Curious? Click on to discover some famous names in mathematics and their contributions to the world.