History of Mathematics Jamie Foster

AD 23-79: Prehistoric Mathematics A tally (or tally stick) was an ancient memory aid device to record and document numbers, quantities, or even messages. Tally sticks first appear as notches carved on animal bones. A notable example is the Ishango Bone. Historical reference is made by Pliny the Elder (AD 23–79). Reference: ombo_bone#Paleolithic_tally_s ticks

1800 BC: Babylonian Mathematics Plimpton 322 is a Babylonian clay tablet, notable as containing an example of Babylonian mathematics. This tablet, believed to have been written about 1800 BC, has a table of four columns and 15 rows of numbers in the cuneiform script of the period. This table lists what are now called Pythagorean triples, Reference: ory_of_mathematics ory_of_mathematics Plimpton 322 is a Babylonian clay tablet, notable as containing an example of Babylonian mathematics. This tablet, believed to have been written about 1800 BC, has a table of four columns and 15 rows of numbers in the cuneiform script of the period. This table lists what are now called Pythagorean triples. Iraq Reference: ory_of_mathematics ory_of_mathematics

1850 BC: Egyptian Mathematics The Moscow Mathematical Papyrus is an ancient Egyptian mathematical papyrus, also called the Golenishchev Mathematical Papyrus. The 10th problem of the Moscow Mathematical Papyrus asks for a calculation of the surface area of a hemisphere. Approximate pi Reference: scow_Mathematical_Papyrus scow_Mathematical_Papyrus

about 569 BC - about 475 BC Greek Mathematics The Pythagorean theorem is named after the Greek mathematician Pythagoras, who by tradition is credited with its discovery and proof. The theorem can be written as an equation relating the lengths of the sides a, b and c, often called the Pythagorean equation. Reference: hagorean_theorem hagorean_theorem

( in India) Indian mathematics In the 7th century, Brahmagupta explained the use of zero as both a placeholder and decimal digit, and explained the Hindu- Arabic numeral system. Reference: /wiki/Brahmagupta

about 825: Islamic mathematics Al-Khwārizmī's contributions to mathematics, he established the basis for innovation in algebra and trigonometry. His systematic approach to solving linear and quadratic equations led to algebra, a word derived from the title of his 830 book on the subject. For example, x2 = 40x − 4x2 is reduced to 5x2 = 40x. Reference: %E1%B8%A5ammad_ibn_M %C5%ABs%C4%81_al- Khw%C4%81rizm%C4%AB %E1%B8%A5ammad_ibn_M %C5%ABs%C4%81_al- Khw%C4%81rizm%C4%AB

(about 1010-about 1070 in China) Chinese mathematics Jia Xian –Written two mathematics books: Huangdi Jiuzhang Suanjing Xicao (The Yellow Emperor's detailed solutions to the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art), and Suanfa Xuegu Ji (A collection of ancient mathematical rules). Both are lost and we know nothing of the second of the two books other than its title. –Reference: history.mcs.st- andrews.ac.uk/Biographies/Jia _Xian.htmlhttp://www- history.mcs.st- andrews.ac.uk/Biographies/Jia _Xian.html

1500’s: Renaissance Mathematics Bartholomaeus: German trigonometrist Driven by the demands of navigation and the growing need for accurate maps of large areas, trigonometry grew to be a major branch of mathematics. Bartholomaeus Pitiscus was the first to use the word, publishing his Trigonometria in Regiomontanus's table of sines and cosines was published in 1533.Bartholomaeus Pitiscus Reference: holomaeus_Pitiscus holomaeus_Pitiscus

19 th Century Mathematics For the first time in 1823, the limits of mathematics were explored. Niels Henrik Abel, a Norwegian, and Évariste Galois, a Frenchman, proved that there is no general algebraic method for solving polynomial equations of degree greater than four (Abel–Ruffini theorem). While studying in Cristiania completed most of his notable work. Reference: l%E2%80%93Ruffini_theorem l%E2%80%93Ruffini_theorem

20 th Century Mathematics In 1976, Wolfgang Haken with colleague Kenneth Appel at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, solved one of the most famous problems in mathematics, the four-color theorem using a computer. They proved that any two-dimensional map, with certain limitations, can be filled in with four colors without any adjacent "countries" sharing the same color. Reference: fgang_Haken fgang_Haken