The earliest mathematical texts trace their origin to Mesopotamia and Egypt, where written works dated 2000-1800 BC have been discovered. However, the Pythagoreans were the ones who created mathematics as a formal discipline as early as 600-501 BC. This article lists some of history’s greatest mathematicians and their contributions to society.
Archimedes
Known as the father of mathematics, Archimedes was the most famous mathematician in Ancient Greece. He was born in 287 BC in Sicily, Notable contributions and discoveries include the hydrostatic principle, the area of a circle, and establishing the relationship between the volume and the surface of a sphere. Apart from being a prolific mathematician, Archimedes was also a great inventor, creating devices such as the Archimedes Screw, The Claw of Archimedes, and the Heat-Ray.
Pythagoras
Best recognized as the inventor of the Pythagorean Theorem, Pythagoras was an ancient Greek mathematician born on the Greek Island of Samos in 570 BC. Apart from the Pythagorean theorem, Pythagoras was also credited with the discovery of the theory of proportions, the five regular solids, and the sphericity of the earth. There are multiple accounts that state that he was an avid traveler, and also turned to vegetarianism later in life.
Srinivasa Ramanujan
Srinivasa Ramanujan was a prominent Indian mathematician born during the British Raj and is credited with the discovery and compilation of nearly 3,900 mathematical equations during his lifetime. Some of his most important and revolutionary contributions include the Ramanujan Prime, the Ramanujan theta function, and his work on number theory and infinite series. He was also one of the youngest fellows of the prestigious Royal Society as well as Trinity College, Cambridge.
Aryabhata
The father of Indian mathematics, Aryabhatta’s contributions to mathematics helped chart the course for other mathematicians such as Brahmagupta, Varahamihira, and Bhaskara I. His Aryabhatiya, a seminal work that introduced concepts such as the rotation of the earth, lunar and solar eclipses, arithmetic, and algebra, was written when Aryabhata was only 23 years old.
Brahmagupta
Brahmagupta was an Indian mathematician born in 598 CE, and his book, the Brahmaphutasiddhanta is the first text that introduces zero as a number. Other significant discoveries include Brahmagupta’s Theorem, Brahmagupta’s Identity, and Brahmagupta’s Formula.
Mathematics is one of the world’s most studied subjects, and has often been referred to as “the language of the universe” and is used in almost all other disciplines such as physics, chemistry, and biology. Mathematics is an extremely important part of education, and we at Speedlabs strongly believe that every child should start formal education in mathematics at an early age.
Happy International Day of Mathematics!
Also published on Medium.