The Great Mathematicians - Professor Robin Wilson and Dr Raymond Flood

TL;DR

The Great Mathematicians explores the lives and contributions of mathematicians throughout history, covering a wide range of topics and developments in the field.

Transcript

well good evening everybody and welcome to Gresham College uh a particular welcome to those who are visiting for the first time and the object of today as you know is to launch our wonderful new book The Great mathematicians because we're all familiar with the stories of Isaac Newton and the Apple and we're familiar with the story of Archimedes run... Read More

Key Insights

• 🧡 Mathematics has always been a human endeavor, with mathematicians grappling with a wide range of problems throughout history.
• 🥺 The development of logarithms by John Napier and Henry Briggs greatly aided calculations and led to the invention of calculating machines like Charles Babbage's Difference Engine.
• 💦 Florence Nightingale's work as a statistician showcased the importance of data analysis in informing and influencing healthcare policies and practices.
• 👾 The theories of relativity presented by Albert Einstein revolutionized physics and reshaped our understanding of space, time, and gravity.

Questions & Answers

Q: Who was Pythagoras and what were his contributions to mathematics?

Pythagoras, a legendary figure, was a Greek mathematician who founded a philosophical school known as the Pythagoreans. He is famous for the Pythagorean theorem, which states that in a right-angled triangle, the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides. Pythagoras also studied the relationship between mathematical concepts and music.

Q: What is the significance of Florence Nightingale's work as a statistician?

Florence Nightingale, known for her nursing work during the Crimean War, was also a skilled statistician. She collected and analyzed mortality data from the war and used polar diagrams, a precursor to pie charts, to visually represent the data. Her work influenced public health policy and helped improve medical and social practices.

Q: What was the impact of Albert Einstein's theories of relativity on physics?

Albert Einstein revolutionized physics with his theories of special and general relativity. The special theory of relativity linked concepts of time, distance, mass, and energy, introducing the idea that the speed of light is constant. The general theory of relativity extended these ideas to include gravity, proposing that space and time are intermixed and that the presence of mass curves space-time. His theories have had a profound impact on the field of physics and our understanding of the universe.

Q: What are some examples of unsolved problems in mathematics presented by David Hilbert?

David Hilbert, one of the greatest mathematicians, presented a list of 23 unsolved problems in mathematics during the international Congress of mathematicians in 1900. Some notable examples include Hilbert's tenth problem, which investigates the algorithmic solvability of Diophantine equations, and the Riemann hypothesis, a conjecture about the distribution of prime numbers.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The book, "The Great Mathematicians," delves into the stories and discoveries of mathematicians throughout history, exploring practical and theoretical problems they grappled with.

• The content is organized into five chapters, covering ancient mathematics, early European mathematics, awakening and enlightenment, the age of revolutions, and the modern age.

• Each chapter features double page spreads highlighting various mathematicians and their contributions, as well as illustrations and images.