Mathematics History
The first recorded evidence of mathematics dates back to around 2000 BC in Babylonia. It was inherited by the Greeks around 450 BC. Between 300 BC and 200 BC the Greeks made great progress and improvement in mathematics. Mathematics developed all over the world in China, Greece, Babylonia, and many other cultures. Greek mathematics was originally translated to Arabic. In the 11th century, Adelard of Bath brought the Greeks’ knowledge of mathematics to Europe. During the early 16th century, Europe made major progress in mathematics with famous mathematicians, including Pacioli, Cardan, Tartaglia, and Ferrari.
In the 17th century, logarithms were discovered by Briggs and Napier, who both made other great contributions to mathematics. A logarithim is defined as the exponent or power to which a stated number, called the base, is raised to yield a specific number. Napier, who is credited with the invention of logarithms, only considered the study of mathematics to be a hobby. Many other scientists and mathematicians helped develop Napier’s logarithms to the system we use today. Unlike the logarithms used today, Napier’s original logarithms are to base 1/e and involve a constant (10^7). Napier defined his logarithms as a ratio of two distances in a geometric form, as opposed to the current definition of logarithms as exponents.
A Mathematician named Cavalieri made progress towards Calculus. Another Mathematician, Descartes, added algebraic methods to geometry. In the 18th century, one of the greatest mathematicians of the time, Euler, created two new branches to mathematics—calculus of variations and differential geometry. He also made extensive progress in number theory begun by Fermat.
There was rapid progress in the 19th century. In geometry, Plucker produced fundamental work on analytic geometry, and Steiner on synthetic geometry. Lobachevsky and Bolyai developed Non-Euclidean geometry, which led to the characterization of geometry by Riemann. The 19th century also saw the work of Galois on equations and fundamental operations. His introduction of the group concept heralded a new direction for mathematical research, which has continued through the 20th century. The birth of Galois theory was originally motivated by the following question, whose answer is known as the Abel-Ruffini theorem. “Why is there no formula for the roots of a fifth- (or higher) degree polynomial equation in terms of the coefficients of the polynomial, using only the usual algebraic operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division) and application of radicals (square roots, cube roots, etc)?” Galois theory not only provides an answer to this question, it also explains in detail why it is possible to solve equations of degree four or lower in the above manner, and why their solutions take the form that they do. Galois theory began in the study of symmetric functions. For instance, (x − a)(x − b) = x2 − (a + b)x + ab, where a + b and ab are the elementary polynomials of degree 1 and 2 in 2 variables.
The history of mathematics is more complex than this space allows for, but this gives you a basic timeline for understanding how mathematics developed.
Other Items You May Be Interested In:
Theory and Practice of Counseling and PsychotherapyDevelop your own counseling style using Corey's bestselling THEORY AND PRACTICE OF COUNSELING AND PSYCHOTHERAPY. You will see the major theories of co... Read More >
SIGMA BC906 9-Function Topline Wired Bicycle SpeedometerThe BC 906 has everything a bike rider needs. Next to standard functions this all around computer is equipped with average speed. The computer is easily programmable with click buttons. If the battery is running low, a reminder alarms the bike rider before it is too late. Handlebar or stem mount.
Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory, Third Edition (Beginnings)This book has been helping students navigate through the thickest of literary and cultural theory for well over a decade now. This new and expande... Read More >
