History of Mathematics Essay

Mathematics the unshaken Foundation of Sciences, and the plentiful Fountain of Advantage to human affairs. (Barrow) Mathematics plays an integral function in our daily vivification since its conception, and we thank the majuscule mathematicians for this essential tool. Mathematics has been used in various professions and academic fields. Undoubtedly, there have been m any men of old that have contri just nowed to the science of mathematics, but what really captivates our care, are the ones who were wrathate who dedicated their lives to the study of mathematics the originators of various fields of mathematics who displayed remarkable seduce.I have narrowed the list of the meridian three mathematicians who I have deemed worthy of being named the Greatest Mathematician based on 1) passion, and 2) originality of outstanding rifle. A fitting decisive factor passion explains how great mathematicians of old truly demonstrated their intense commitment to this science. They have de dicated their lives to practicing mathematics, down to their deaths. Historical accounts have described their deep interest in numeric principles, persistence in solving problems and the ecstatic reaction of achievement when successful.It is their absolute love and pride for the science that we have come to respect. It is required that one follows limited mathematical principles and formulas in order to solve problems. This we take for granted, thus failing to appreciate the originality of these mathematicians. However, being original is what has shaped the history of mathematics. The past original work of great mathematicians has allowed for the development of new and/or advanced theories, formulas, and principles.Their mathematical discoveries have been used in many scientific disciplines such as physics and chemistry. It is thus relevant that we explore the original work of these mathematical pioneers. Without a doubt, there are many great mathematicians of old however, the ma thematicians that I have chosen were, in my eye, truly passionate about their work, innovative, and overall, notable in advancing mathematical success. The three leading candidates I have chosen are Archimedes, Blaise papa, and Isaac Newton.Archimedes a swell rounded Greek scholar made revolutionary discoveries in mathematics, physics and engineering. (Kochman) Not much is known about his life however, he was renowned for his passion, innovation, and work in mathematics. Archimedes was a passionate mathematician right down to his death. Archimedes was said to have a great amount of concentration when engaged in mathematical problems, to confidential information where he would be unaware of the things happening around him. He would often avoid his food, bath and even be undressed until he was through with his work.He would even draw geometrical figures on any surface possible. His great passion for mathematics sadly led to his death. Archimedes was so deep in pattern that he w as unaware the city was being looted by the Romans. He may not have even noticed the Roman soldier who approached him as he drew diagrams in the dirt. (Hanson) It was reported that while deep in his mathematical work, Archimedes was disturbed by the soldier who then killed the mathematician with his sword. Archimedes passion for mathematics was him living and dying in mathematical thought.Archimedes was well-known for his original works in mechanical engineering, but he also made great contributions to mathematics. Archimedes was associated with the rule of Exhaustion, Method of Compression, and the mechanic Method. Despite not creating some theories on his own, what made Archimedes original, was the fact that he would take particular discoveries made by his predecessorsextending them in new directions. (Cosimo Classics) A great example of this is his use of the Method of Exhaustion. He was the first person to use this method to estimate the area of a circle.As the creator of th e Mechanical Method, he used it to find the area of a parabola, hatful of a sphere, and the surface area of a sphere. He produced several theorems that became widely known passim the world. He is credited with producing some of the principles of calculus long before Newton and Leibniz. He worked out ways of squaring the circle and computing areas of several curved regions. His interest in mechanics is credited with influencing his mathematical reasoning, which he used in devising new mathematical theorems.He proved that the surface area and volume of a sphere are two-thirds that of its circumscribing cylinder. (Archimedes) Blaise dada was a French mathematician who spent the majority of his short but remarkable life practicing mathematics. Pascals passion for mathematics was intertwined with his outstanding work in the field. Like Archimedes, he used the studies of his predecessors, but perfected it. This is with the cases of Pascals arithmetic triangle and the probability theor y. Pascals passion for mathematics began from his pre-teen years.It has been claimed that the 12 year old Pascal was found playing with pieces of folded paper and later realized that the sum of the angles in any triangle is equal to 180?. (Gilbert and Gilbert) By age 14, he was actively involved with French mathematicians, and by 16, he had established significant results in projective geometry, and began ontogenesis a calculator to facilitate his fathers work of auditing chaotic government tax records. (Gilbert and Gilbert) He showed great passion when he spent 10 years of his life perfecting the Pascaline calculator, building over 50 versions.In spite of a near death experience which changed his course from a mathematician to a theologian, Pascal still had great passion for his first love mathematics. According to historians, Pascal suffered a toothache, which kept him awake at night. In an effort to take his mastermind off the pain he focused on the cycloid, the curve traced by a point on the circumference of a rolling circle. Pascal figure out the problem of the area of any segment of the cycloid and the center of gravity of any segment. He also solved the problems of the volume and surface area of the hard of revolution formed by rotating the cycloid about the x-axis.