Carl Gauss Essay

The Pythagorean School, for example, contributed many ideas to the mathematic community, among them, studies of geometry and the theory of proof.5 Euclid also lived in the time of ancient Greece and became a prominent mathematician, as well as author of a book about geometry called, The Elements, considered the second best-selling book of all time.6 The works of Pythagoras and Euclid have become fundamental building blocks for any person with an eighth-grade understanding mathematics. With these advancements, as well as innovations from Archimedes and Apollonius of Perga, Islamic scholars translated their works and contributed even more, growing the worldwide understanding of mathematics.7 Greek progressions in geometry as well as the theory of proof contributed greatly to our ultimate understanding of contemporary mathematics, without which, our modern society would be

Galileo might be the most famous person in the development of astronomy. He is famous, not only because of the amazing work he did to advance Copernican theory of heliocentrism, but also because of the controversy that surrounded him. Using new methods and instruments, he provided compelling new evidence to support Copernican theory. He also contributed to the development of theories of physics that could account for the movements of bodies in new terms. His observations of the movements of objects in the heavens required different explanations than the old ideas about the heavens. It required him, and others, to begin to understand the reasons to explain these new observations. His efforts to publicize his findings was met by

There was an unexpected explosion in the math and science world in the 17th century across Europe, known as the Age of Reasoning. Scientists such as Galileo, Brahe and Kepler continued to increase our knowledge on mathematics and science, especially the solar system which led to Kepler’s laws of planetary motion. Isaac Newton also discovered the laws of physics explaining Kepler’s Laws, and brought together the concepts now known as calculus. The invention of the logarithm by John Napier contributed to the advances of science and astronomy and was one of the most significant developments of this time. Rene Descartes development of analytical geometry and Cartesian coordinates allowed the orbits of the planets to be plotted. Other mathematicians such as Fermat and Pascal formulated theorems which extended our knowledge on number theory. Pascal is most famous for his Pascal triangle even though similar figures had been done by the Chinese and Persian mathematicians before him. Newton and Leibniz revolutionized mathematics by developing infinitesimal calculus. Much more credit should be given to many other mathematicians at this time, but as said before, this was a time of severe increase in mathematics and these are only a few of the most important discoveries. (15)

David Hilbert was a German mathematician whose research and study of geometry, physics, and algebra revolutionized mathematics and went on to introduce the mathematic and scientific community with a series of mathematical equations that have yet to be solved. Furthermore, his study of mathematics laid the groundwork for a variety of ongoing mathematic analyses, which continue to influence the world today.

Furthermore, his discovery was important because it's been the three laws of motion which also formed the basis of modern physic. The discovery, he made also led to a more powerful way to solving mathematics.

He discovered the laws of planetary motion, explained how gravity works, and invented calculus, a new branch of mathematics that proved invaluable to modern scientists and mathematicians.

Dr.Seuss was born in 1904 on Howard Street in Springfield, Massachusetts. His mother was Henrietta Seuss Geisel and his father was Theodore Robert. His father ran a brewery that stayed very busy. They never experienced financial problems until WW 1 started when the brewery shut down.

The Greeks made several inventions, most notably in the subject of math, which are still studied today and taught in school. Mathematician Euclid is often credited as the “Father of Geometry” for all his work and studies in this subject, which are compiled in his books called The Elements. He organized known geometrical statements called theorems and logically proved all of them. He proved the theorem of Pythagoras (another Greek mathematician), which stated that the equation (c2 = a2 + b2) is true for every right triangle.

Greek mathematics and science has dramatically evolved throughout history. Ancient Greece was the birthplace of science and the ideas and concepts impacted the culture and society. Interests in science were motivated by unscientific cultural interested and biases that arose from the language and opposing theories of the time. Ancient Greeks produced great advancements in mathematics and science that are still used today. Many ancient philosophers shaped the ideas and concepts of ancient Greece and its people.

The author of Journey through Genius, William Dunham, begins this chapter by depicting how mathematics was spurred and developed in early civilizations. Dunham focuses primarily on the works’ and achievements’ of early Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Greece in this section. These ancient societies, as they developed, produced mathematicians such as; Thales, Pythagoras, and Hippocrates, who turned a basic human intuition for space and quantity into applicable everyday mathematics. The primary influences driving the development of early mathematics were the issues of growing civilizations, most notably counting commodities, taxation, and the division of land equally, rather than a pure desire for understanding that is seen in mathematics today. These influences culminated in the development of early arithmetic and geometry.

Born Johann Mendel in 1822 in what is now the Czech Republic, he lived a peasant’s life for many years. In grade school he was a gifted child and sent to boarding school in the German town of Opava. His parents could not afford the school so Mendel tutored other students to pay for school. After graduating he was unable to find a job as a teacher and returned to his parents’ farm. In 1841, Mendel was accepted to the University of Olomouc, but attending the university was tough because he did not speak Chech. He made good relationships with his professors and earned top marks in mathematics and science.

The early Pythagoreans did not publish anything and with a noble self denial, they referred back to their master all their discoveries. (Allman, 1976) Hence, it was not possible to separate what was discovered by him from what his disciples discovered. The Pythagoreans wrote many geometric proofs, but it is difficult to ascertain who proved what, as the group wanted to keep their findings secret. Unfortunately, this vow of secrecy prevented an important mathematical idea from being made public. The Pythagoreans had discovered irrational numbers! If we take an isosceles right triangle with legs of measure 1, the hypotenuse will measure sqrt

Galileo Galilei was born in Pisa, Italy on February 15, 1564 and was named after his ancestor Galileo Bonaiuti who was a physician, professor, and politician. His parents were Giulia Ammannati and Vincenzo Galilei, a famous lutenist, composer, and music theorist. He was the first born of six children of which three of his five siblings survived infancy. He started his education at the young age of 8 at the Camaldolese Monastery at Vallombrosa, which brought a close connection to the Christian religion.

Lagrange began to be recognized for his studies and work in mathematics so that at the age of nineteen, he was selected to be a professor at the Royal Artillery School in Turin. Thus, Lagrange’s career began.

Leonhard Paul Euler was born on April 15th, 1707 in Basel, Switzerland and died on November18th, 1783 in St. Petersburg, Russia. Even from a young age, Euler was discovered by many, including his father (Paulus) and instructor (Johann I Bernoulli), to be extraordinarily proficient in mathematics. When he was just 15 years of age, Euler concluded his studies at the University of Basel. Euler wrote a prize winning paper explaining the best organization of masts on a sailing ship at 19 years old. The book was entitled Meditationes super problemate nautico… and the award he received was from the Academy of Sciences in Paris. In 1727, he submitted a dissertation regarding sound (Dissertatio physica de sono) in