Ancient Innovators
This Greek mathematician compiled "The Elements," the most influential geometry textbook of all time
Who is Euclid?
The Egyptians were skilled in this field, which they used for land measurement and the construction of pyramids.
What is geometry?
The Indian subcontinent is credited with the birth of the concept of 0 and this related system for representing numbers.
What is place value?
This technological innovation made mathematical texts more widely available and fostered an exchange of ideas among scholars.
What is the printing press (or printing technology)?
Calculus provided a powerful framework for understanding these two related concepts.
What are change and motion?
This early Mesopotamian culture used a base-60 (sexagesimal) number system, which we still use for time and angle measurements.
What are the Babylonians?
This ancient civilization developed a number system based on 60, which still influences our current time measurement.
What are the Babylonians?
This century marks the first recorded use of the concept of 0 as a numeral, significantly transforming calculation.
What is c. 500 CE?
This period saw an increased interest in and recovery of ancient Greek mathematical texts.
What is the Renaissance?
This 17th-century mathematical tool was independently developed by Isaac Newton and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz.
What is calculus?
He is credited with calculating the value of π and designing machines of war, famously shouting "Eureka!"
Who is Archimedes?
This Greek text by Euclid systematically organized geometry and established the axiomatic method.
What is Euclid’s Elements?
Advances in this field were a significant contribution of the Islamic Golden Age, as described in the work of al-Khwarizmi.
What is algebra?
During the 8th and 9th centuries, scholars in the Islamic Golden Age worked to translate and preserve the texts of these ancient civilizations.
What are the Greeks?
The development of calculus led to new fields of study, including differential equations and this type of analysis.
What is mathematical analysis?
This Greek scholar calculated the circumference of the Earth using only shadows and geometry, remarkably accurately.
Who is Eratosthenes?
The Babylonians are credited with the creation of one of the first known number systems and the development of early methods for this mathematical branch.
What is algebra?
The introduction of the place value system, along with the innovative use of zero, happened in this century.
What is c. 600 CE?
Advances in this during the Renaissance, including the introduction of the equals sign, helped make mathematical expression more efficient.
What is mathematical notation?
Calculus laid the groundwork for modern concepts in physics and engineering, including Newton's laws of motion and this phenomenon.
What is gravitation?
The Rhind Papyrus is a primary source document for the mathematics of this ancient civilization, often focusing on unit fractions.
What are the Egyptians?
This Greek concept involves moving from general premises to specific, certain conclusions and helped establish mathematics as a formal science.
What is deductive reasoning?
Scholars during the Islamic Golden Age also made significant advancements in this study of the relationships between triangle sides and angles.
What is trigonometry?
The work of this Greek mathematician, who established a foundational relationship between the sides of a right triangle, was a key influence during the Renaissance.
Who is Pythagoras?
Mathematics, in general, serves as the foundational tool for scientific advancement, which is evident in computational algorithms and the formulation of these two types of laws/principles.
What are physical laws and engineering designs (or physical laws and engineering principles)?