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HISTORY OF MATH Flashcards

(73 cards)

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1
Q

What does the Greek word ‘mathemata’ mean?

A

To study or to learn

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2
Q

What is the Filipino term for Mathematics?

A

Sipnayan

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3
Q

What is the time frame of the Stone Age?

A

20,000 BCE – 2,000 BCE

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4
Q

What is the Isango Bone and its significance?

A

20,000 years old; discovered in 1950; contains a series of notches for counting

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5
Q

How old is the Lebombo Bone and where was it discovered?

A

40,000 years old; somewhere near South Africa

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6
Q

What mathematical concepts did the Chinese Civilization develop?

A
  • Negative numbers
  • Decimal fractions
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7
Q

What is the Sexagesimal Number System?

A

Base 60 number system used by Sumerians/Babylonians

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8
Q

What did ancient Mesopotamia use as counters?

A

Small, three-dimensional clay objects

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9
Q

What is the significance of the Mesopotamian Tablets?

A

Oldest known clay tablet with mathematical computations, created around 2700 BCE

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10
Q

When was the Sumerian Multiplication Table created?

A

Around 2600 BCE

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11
Q

What is the Rhind Papyrus?

A

Famous mathematical document from ancient Egypt, written around 1550 BCE

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12
Q

Who was Menna and what was his role?

A

Chief scribe in ancient Egypt in charge of measuring fields and calculating taxes

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13
Q

What significant concept did Indian Civilization contribute to Mathematics?

A

Concept of zero

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14
Q

Who is considered the first true Mathematician?

A

Thales of Miletus

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15
Q

What theorem is named after Thales?

A

Thales’ Theorem

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16
Q

What was Pythagoras known for?

A

Belief that everything in the universe can be represented by numbers

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17
Q

Who is known for the Paradox of Motion?

A

Zeno of Elea

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18
Q

What is the Lune of Hippocrates?

A

First systematic compilation of geometrical knowledge by Hippocrates

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19
Q

What is Eudoxus of Cnidus known for?

A

Developing the method of exhaustion, laying the foundation for integral calculus

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20
Q

What is Euclid known as?

A

Father of Geometry

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21
Q

What does Euclid’s book ‘The Elements’ focus on?

A
  • Geometry
  • Number Theory
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22
Q

What is Archimedes famous for?

A

Water Displacement Method and volume of irregular objects

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23
Q

Who calculated the circumference of the earth?

A

Eratosthenes of Cyrene

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24
Q

What is the Sieve of Eratosthenes?

A

A process developed by Eratosthenes to find prime numbers

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25
What did Heron of Alexandria invent?
* Windmills * Pantograph * Hero’s engine
26
What is the significance of Diophantus?
Known for Diophantine equations
27
Who is considered the Father of Algebra?
Muhammad Al-Khwarizmi
28
What is the title of Al-Khwarizmi's book?
Al-jabr
29
What did Brahmagupta contribute to mathematics?
Rules for addition, subtraction, and multiplication with zero and negative numbers
30
What is the significance of Fibonacci's 'Liber Abaci'?
Introduced the Hindu Arabic Number System to Europe
31
What did Nicole D’Oresme introduce?
First to use the plus sign (+) for addition
32
What mathematical concept did John Napier discover?
Logarithms
33
Who is known as the Father of Modern Science?
Galileo Galilei
34
What did Isaac Newton establish?
Calculus as a Mathematical discipline
35
What is Euler’s Identity?
e^(iπ) + 1 = 0
36
Who was the first Western Woman to write a mathematics textbook?
Maria Gaetana Agnesi
37
What did Pierre-Simon Laplace pioneer?
Field of probability
38
What is the Mohr-Mascheroni Theorem?
A theorem related to compass and straightedge constructions
39
What is the significance of the Central Limit Theorem?
Describes the distribution of sample means
40
Who is known as the Father of Differential Geometry?
French Mathematician ## Footnote Introduced the concept of lines of curvature on surfaces in 3D space and invented orthographic projection and descriptive geometry.
41
What theorem is associated with Lorenzo Mascheroni?
Mohr-Mascheroni Theorem ## Footnote The Euler-Mascheroni constant is named after him.
42
What is Pierre-Simon Laplace known for?
Translated problems in celestial mechanics from geometry to calculus ## Footnote Proposed that the solar system developed from a rotating disk of dust and pioneered the field of probability.
43
What significant mathematical theorem did Carl Friedrich Gauss prove?
Fundamental Theorem of Algebra ## Footnote He added the first 100 counting numbers in seconds when he was 10 years old.
44
What was Marie-Sophie Germain known for in mathematics?
Laid the foundations to prove Fermat’s Last Theorem ## Footnote Contributed to the Mathematics of Elastic Surfaces.
45
What is Mary Somerville recognized for?
Discovery of Neptune ## Footnote Scottish Scientist and Writer; referred to as the Queen of Science.
46
What is the Möbius strip?
Non-orientable 2D surface with only one side ## Footnote Discovered by August Ferdinand Möbius.
47
What is Augustin-Louis Cauchy known for?
Complex Analysis ## Footnote He made significant contributions to Advanced Algebra and Calculus.
48
What is Charles Babbage known as?
Father of the Computer ## Footnote He invented the difference/analytical engine, the first mechanical computer.
49
Who is recognized as the first Computer Programmer?
Ada Lovelace ## Footnote An English Mathematician.
50
Which mathematicians are considered founders of Non-Euclidean Geometry?
Nikolai Lobachevsky, János Bolyai ## Footnote Both contributed significantly to the development of this field.
51
What is the Abel Prize named after?
Niels Henrik Abel ## Footnote He made contributions to Abelian functions and groups, as well as elliptic functions.
52
What do the De Morgan Laws explain?
How to transform logical relationships in set theory ## Footnote Attributed to Augustus De Morgan.
53
Who invented quaternions?
William Rowan Hamilton ## Footnote This was the first example of a non-commutative algebra.
54
What is George Boole known for?
Boolean Algebra ## Footnote Uses operators such as and, or, and not.
55
Who is considered the Father of Modern Analysis?
Karl Weierstrass ## Footnote His work laid the foundation for modern analysis.
56
What is Bernhard Riemann known for?
First rigorous definition of integration ## Footnote He proposed the Riemann Hypothesis, one of the 23 mathematical problems.
57
What is Georg Cantor famous for?
Established Set Theory as a separate field of Mathematics ## Footnote He is considered the Father/Founder of Set Theory and made significant contributions to our understanding of infinity.
58
Who was the first woman to earn a modern doctorate in Mathematics?
Sofia Kovalevskaya ## Footnote A notable Russian Mathematician.
59
What is Henri Poincaré known for?
Topology and Geometry ## Footnote Referred to as The Last Universalist.
60
What did David Hilbert compile in 1900?
A set of 23 unsolved mathematical problems ## Footnote Seven of these problems have been solved to the present.
61
What is the significance of the Fields Medal?
Counterpart of the Nobel Prize for Mathematics ## Footnote Named after John Charles Fields.
62
What is Linear Algebra widely used for?
Computer programs, including AI ## Footnote It is a fundamental field of mathematics in modern applications.
63
What is the Vigesimal Number System?
Base 20 ## Footnote Used by Celtics and Innuits.
64
What does the Hexadecimal Number System represent?
Base 16 ## Footnote Commonly used in computing.
65
Who invented the telephone?
Alexander Graham Bell ## Footnote The decibel was named after him to measure sound intensity.
66
Who was the first African-American Mathematician to receive a PhD?
Elbert Cox ## Footnote A significant figure in the history of mathematics.
67
What is George Dantzig known for?
Invented Linear Programming Method ## Footnote This method is used to find optimal values of a linear function subject to constraints.
68
What is the Richter Scale used for?
To determine the strength of earthquakes ## Footnote Developed by Charles Richter.
69
What did Andrew Wiles prove?
Fermat’s Last Theorem ## Footnote A significant achievement in modern mathematics.
70
Who is known as the Mozart of Mathematics?
Terence Tao ## Footnote He was the youngest ever winner of the International Mathematical Olympiad at age 13.
71
What is the significance of the term 'obelus'?
Division symbol (÷) ## Footnote Used in mathematical operations.
72
What did Claude Shannon contribute to mathematics?
Father of Information Theory ## Footnote His work laid the groundwork for digital circuit design and telecommunications.
73
What is the name of the first female Mathematician elected to the US National Academy of Sciences?
Julia Robinson ## Footnote She also served as the first female president of the American Mathematical Society.

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