Mathematics: The Fibonacci Sequence

Vinci was known for was “Phi” which is a transcendental number, phi is the solution to a

Humans possess a wide range of attributes and characteristics, of which one of the most funda- mental features is that of curiosity. This curiosity has led man to wonder, ponder and then learn. The curious nature of humans drives them to always try to find solutions to the puzzling mysteries behind their ideas and thereby ending up inventing and innovating, extending the boundaries of science and technology. Babylonians and Egyptians used arithmetic, algebra and geometry for taxation and other financial calculations, for building and construction, and for astronomy. To deal with the new dynamics that had arisen from the work of Sir Issac Newton and Galileo Galilei the creation and development of calculus was required. All of them made use of the fundamental tools and items at their disposal to achieve this, but would not have been successful without the one crucial tool - knowledge of mathematics. Mathematics is a language - the language of science and it comes as no surprise that mathematics is vitally important when explaining any phenomenon or scientific theory or proving scientific laws.

Born Vinci, Italy in the year of 1452, Da Vinci was born into a respected family of the community. Early on in his life, his artistic talents were evident and he was sent to Florence to be an apprentice to the respected artist Andrea del Verrocchio. Under the guidance of Verrocchio, Da Vinci acquired a variety of skills which he would later master. Da Vinci learned skills such as metalworking, sculpting and carpentry. Equipped with a wide

Leonardo Pisano was born in Italy somewhere between 1170-1175 and studied in North Africa. His father was a merchant who traveled around the world. During these trips he would often be accompanied by Fibonacci who even at a young age was amazed by the different mathematical institutions. During these trips he observed

The Islamic Golden Age introduced lots of innovative thought into the world, and eventually those ideas made their way into Europe, one of which was the Arabic numerals. Medieval European society was changed by the introduction of the Arabic numerals into their society because these numbers revolutionized the way that daily tasks, like merchant bookkeeping, and academia were approached. Medieval European understanding of mathematics, physical sciences, and accounting was transformed by the translation of texts into Latin, allowing Arabic numerals to become the primary numeric system and therefore easing the burdens of daily life in academia and bookkeeping.

Muhammad Ibn Mūsā al-Khwārizmī developed algebra and algorithms. Spherical trigonometry and the “addition of the decimal point notation to the Arabic numerals” (Islamic Golden Age) were introduced by the Muslim mathematician Sind Ibn Ali. Al-Kindi introduced cryptanalysis, frequency analysis, algebraic calculus, and proof by mathematical induction. Ibn al-Haytham developed “analytic geometry and the earliest general formula for infinitesimal and integral calculus” (Islamic Golden Age). Symbolic algebra which is used today in computer sciences was developed by Abū al-Hasan Ibn Alī al-Qalasādī. “Arabs picked up two concepts essential to the evolution of mathematics: the place value digit and zero. Both of these were vital to being able to do much more complex calculations than the old system of using letters to represent numbers” (Butler). Although Muslims made many technological, medical, as well as other advancements, they also endured a great amount of

Matteo Ricci was known to be a very intellectual man, he brought many important things to our world, and was an adventurer and teacher for most of his life time. Matteo was born October 6, 1552 into a noble family, in Macerata, Italy. His mother, Giovanni Angiolelli, was known for her simple religion, and his father, Giovanni Battista Ricci, was a pharmacist. Matteo took preliminary studies at home, and then when he got a little older, he attended the school that the Jesuit priests had opened during 1561 in his hometown. During the time that he was at the Jesuits school, he completed classical studies. Then, at only age 16, he set out for Rome to study law.

1 Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci, more commonly known as Leonardo da Vinci, was born on April 15, 1452, Vinci, Italy. He had never been formally educated beyond basic reading, writing and mathematics, but his curious mind lead him to many accomplishments. His many skills and talents made him one of the greatest figures of the Renaissance period. At age 67, in May 2, 1519, da Vinci died in Amboise, France. He was buried near Saint-Florentin, but his exact gravesite is not known.

Bonaventure was born in 1221 at Bagnorea in the vicinity of Viterbo. With an original baptismal name of John, a young boy was borne to Giovanni di Fidanza and Maria Ritella. There is not much information on the early life of

Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519) is one of the most remarkable artists of the Renaissance period. Many would first describe him as an artist, but his genius surpasses being simply an artist alone. He was a mathematician, engineer, scientist, botanist, painter, sculptor, inventor, geologist, writer, anatomist, and the list goes on. Da Vinci’s curiosity and consistent quest for knowledge resulted in a great amount of contributions to society in various subjects. He is celebrated today not only for his world renowned works of art, but for his scientific discoveries and inventions as well.

Boyer, C., & Merzbach, U. (1991). A history of mathematics (2nd ed.). New York: Wiley.

Leon Battista Alberti, born in the 15th Century originally from Genoa was educated at Padua and Bologna in classics, mathematics and Church canon law. He was a typical Humanist and his education also made him well-versed in philosophy, science and the arts. In 1421, he attended the University of Bologna where he studied law, which he did not enjoy. Later on, he obtained a degree in canon Law which then led to his mathematical studies. His book, Della Pittura published around the year 1430 were written to influence both artists and patrons through a combination of technical detail and philosophical discussion on Florentine art. This book is divided into 3 parts, the first relates to perspective and mathematics. The second and third parts

Leonardo Da Vinci was born on Saturday April 15, 1452. His father named Ser Piero Da Vinci was an important man, leading citizen who studied at the University of Vinci, and

The renaissance was a time of “rebirth” and changing thoughts. The time of the renaissance was between the 14th century and went to the 17th century.Prior to the renaissance, people of the dark age devoted their life towards god, the changing thoughts of the renaissance lead people to devote their life to learning. The people’s top priority was no longer pleasing God and doing good for God, instead they began to change their priorities. God was still a big part of people’s lives but there was also a yearn for education. Mathematics was a big part of the renaissance, because it helped to make advancement in all areas of learning. The changing values to the Renaissance lead to advancements in mathematics which lead to new art techniques,

Mathematics has contributed to the alteration of technology over many years. The most noticeable mathematical technology is the evolution of the abacus to the many variations of the calculator. Some people argue that the changes in technology have been for the better while others argue they have been for the worse. While this paper does not address specifically technology, this paper rather addresses influential persons in philosophy to the field of mathematics. In order to understand the impact of mathematics, this paper will delve into the three philosophers of the past who have contributed to this academic. In this paper, I will cover the views of three philosophers of mathematics encompassing their