Oh yes, here we are again with yet another episode of the Story of Maths. This time, Marcus du Satuoy headed to the East to see the new heights reached by mathematics after the decline of Greece which put the progress of math in a stagnant state.
It is evident that math has played a big role in building imperial China. In order to build structures, calculations must be made. the Great Wall, which is the pride of China, would not be around if not for math. Chinese' interest in patterns of numbers has also led to one of the famous games still being played today which they first referred to as the magic square, Sudoku. Another interesting role math has played is assuring the imperial succession. Math helped manage the emperor to get through his whole harem in 15 days. In a more modern sense, the Chine Remainder Theorem has been used in astronomy and internet cryptography.
Zero. Nothing. Most would think that zero is worthless because it holds no value. Not the Indians though. Centuries before the symbol for zero has been invented, writing numbers was difficult especially for large numbers. Zero became a place holder to represent an empty space. Dividing a number by zero has led to the concept of infinity. With this concept, they were able to yield the value of pi. The discovery of zero has also led to the discovery of negative numbers and the understanding of trigonometry. From zero, which held no value, came significant breakthroughs in mathematics.
The rise of Islamic empire also gave rise to different mathematical breakthroughs. Muslim scholars translated ancient texts. Their intervention made it possible for us to know about the ancient cultures of Egypt, Babylon, Greece and India. Translating these texts awoken their desire to discover more. Their practices like time and direction of prayer, patterns used in buildings demand the knowledge of math. The two key concepts they contributed were Hindu Arabic numerals and algebra which is a completely new language.
Ah, Italy. Not only is it home to the finest pasta and pizza, but also the birthing ground of mathematical concepts. From a simple riddle about mating rabbits, came the Fibonacci sequence. These Fibonacci numbers are associated with growth in nature. A young scholar named Tartaglia discovered a solution to cubic equations. He was ostracized by his peers, slashed across the face and betrayed yet he didn't even get to take credit for his work. His formula to solve cubic functions is, to this day, called Cardano's formula.
Mathematics does not come from one person or place. It comes from shared knowledge. Watching this episode made me realize that discoveries can be made by anyone anywhere. One cannot take full credit for math because it is the result of countless contributions from different eras all over the world. We may speak in different tongues but math has become the language that connects us.
It is evident that math has played a big role in building imperial China. In order to build structures, calculations must be made. the Great Wall, which is the pride of China, would not be around if not for math. Chinese' interest in patterns of numbers has also led to one of the famous games still being played today which they first referred to as the magic square, Sudoku. Another interesting role math has played is assuring the imperial succession. Math helped manage the emperor to get through his whole harem in 15 days. In a more modern sense, the Chine Remainder Theorem has been used in astronomy and internet cryptography.
Zero. Nothing. Most would think that zero is worthless because it holds no value. Not the Indians though. Centuries before the symbol for zero has been invented, writing numbers was difficult especially for large numbers. Zero became a place holder to represent an empty space. Dividing a number by zero has led to the concept of infinity. With this concept, they were able to yield the value of pi. The discovery of zero has also led to the discovery of negative numbers and the understanding of trigonometry. From zero, which held no value, came significant breakthroughs in mathematics.
The rise of Islamic empire also gave rise to different mathematical breakthroughs. Muslim scholars translated ancient texts. Their intervention made it possible for us to know about the ancient cultures of Egypt, Babylon, Greece and India. Translating these texts awoken their desire to discover more. Their practices like time and direction of prayer, patterns used in buildings demand the knowledge of math. The two key concepts they contributed were Hindu Arabic numerals and algebra which is a completely new language.
Ah, Italy. Not only is it home to the finest pasta and pizza, but also the birthing ground of mathematical concepts. From a simple riddle about mating rabbits, came the Fibonacci sequence. These Fibonacci numbers are associated with growth in nature. A young scholar named Tartaglia discovered a solution to cubic equations. He was ostracized by his peers, slashed across the face and betrayed yet he didn't even get to take credit for his work. His formula to solve cubic functions is, to this day, called Cardano's formula.
Mathematics does not come from one person or place. It comes from shared knowledge. Watching this episode made me realize that discoveries can be made by anyone anywhere. One cannot take full credit for math because it is the result of countless contributions from different eras all over the world. We may speak in different tongues but math has become the language that connects us.
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ReplyDeleteI think math should be enjoyed rather than forcibly learned. It's not just an abstraction.There's beauty within, but unfortunately, I cannot see this true beauty..
ReplyDeleteYour text inspired me to learn more about the math behind these marvelous patterns and applications. hope that helps!
great read. inspiring and enlightening
ReplyDeleteA discovery is indeed better with the collaboration of ideas coming from great minds. Excellent choice of words!
ReplyDelete