History of Math Flashcards
What did the Babylonians do?
Fractions, quadratics, Pythagorean theorem, and calendars.
What did the early Europeans and Americans do?
Stonehenge and standing stones.
What did the Egyptians do?
Fractions, multiplication, Pythagorean theorem, and Pyramids.
What did the Chinese do?
Decimals, negative numbers, base 2 and 10, and geometry.
When did the Babylonians come around?
3000 BC
When did the Egyptians come around?
2000 BC
When did the early Europeans and Americans come around?
2500 BC
When did the Chinese come around?
1100 BC
What document did we find from the Egyptians that explained their mathematical thinking?
The Rhind Papyrus. Much use of the Pythagorean theorem.
How was math used before Greece?
All math was for practical use and could be applied.
Which civilization was Pythagoras a part of?
The Greeks.
What did Pythagoras initially call the Pythagorean theorem?
The musical tuning theorem.
How did Greeks do math?
Greeks used brainpower and did not do any experiments.
What did Pythagoras think about the Universe?
He thought the Earth was the center of the universe and that every orbit had a perfect circle.
Who were the Pythagorens?
A cult that worshipped Pythagoras. They only used and studied ratios and beans were banned.
How did Pythagoras die?
He was murdered in a bean field.
What did Pythagoras accomplish?
The fundamentals of mathematics.
What civilization was Zeno part of?
The Greeks.
What limit story did Zeno use?
Tortoise and the Hare.
What did Zeno accomplish?
Limits and Paradoxes of Infinite series.
What was a core math belief that Euclid believed?
All math is geometric.
What civilization was Euclid a part of?
The Greeks
What book did Euclid write?
The Elements.
What did Euclid accomplish?
Geometry and prime numbers.
What civilization was Archimedes part of?
The Greeks
What famous moment is Archimedes known for?
Jumping from the bathtub, yelling Eureka, and running naked down the streets. He figured out water displacement.
What two things did Archimedes write in his books?
The formula for circles and spheres and the estimate of pi.
What did Archimedes accomplish?
3-D Geometry, Pi, and Infinite series.
How did Archimedes die?
He was stabbed by a Roman soldier who was supposed to keep him alive.
What did Archimedes death signify?
Archimedes death signified the end of the Greek math era.
What civilization was al-Khwarizmi a part of?
al-Khwarizmi was part of the Persian empire.
What was the main thing al-Khwarizmi did?
He discovered the basics of algebra.
What did Abu Kamil accomplish?
Negative numbers.
What did Khojandi accomplish?
Spherical trigonometry. Defined the law of sines and found connections between sine and cosine with circular motion.
What did al-Karaji accomplish?
Mathematical induction.
What civilization was Khayyam a part of?
The Persian Empire.
What is Khayyam mostly known for?
Poetry and Philosophy.
What did Khayyam question?
Khayyam questioned astrology and suggested that it was made-up nonsense, which it is.
What is the famous book Khayyam wrote?
Khayyam wrote the Rubaiyat.
What did Khayyam accomplish mathematically?
Geometric algebra, the parallel postulate, the binomial theorem, and cubic functions.
How did the math renaissance come to be?
Cities began to rely on external structure, and more wealth flowed through the population allowing for math to be studied as survival was not the most important thing.
What was Fermet’s previous job before mathematician?
Lawyer.
What was Fermet the founding father of?
The modern Modular/Time System.
What did Fermet nearly develop?
Calculus but he had no notation.
What is a ‘fun’ fact about Fermet?
He made the Last Theorem, which wasn’t proved until 1994 by Andrew Wiles.
What is the Last Theorem?
A^n+B^n can never equal C^n where n>2
What did Fermet accomplish?
Minimums, Maximums, and Number Theory.
What did Descartes accomplish?
Descartes accomplished connecting algebra and geometry.
What book did Descartes write?
La Geometrie.
What did John Wallis write?
The first book of notation.
What did John Wallis accomplish?
Arithmetic Functions.
What era did Isaac Newton show up in?
The Renaissance.
What famous book did Newton write?
Newton’s Principia
Whose work did Newton use for his book Principia?
Descarte’s work.
What anomaly happened at Newton’s birth?
Newton was born premature and was thought to die.
What is Newton’s title?
Most prolific scientist and mathemetician.
Where did Newton go to college?
Cambridge.
What shut down Cambridge and the rest of England?
The Black Plague.
What is Newton’s biggest accomplishment?
Developing Calculus.
How long did it take Newton to develop Calculus?
6 weeks.
What did Leibniz do?
Finished Calculus.
What notations did Leibniz create?
dx and S
What did Leibniz study?
The area under curves using verticle lines to find the area.
What did Eulur accomplish?
Infinitesimal calculus.
What did LaPlace accomplish?
Analytical Geometry.
What did Gauss accomplish?
Fundamental theorem of algebra.
What did Hamilton accomplish?
Vectors and differential geometry.
What did Riemann accomplish?
Integration Theory.
