History Of Mathematics

NAME : DEHDA HITESH S

What is Math? Algebra
Analysis
Applied Mathematics
Mathematics is a versatile Calculus
science that encompasses Cartesian Geometry
logic, quantity, structure, Combinatorics
order, and arrangement. It Discrete Math
has been practiced since Geometry
Matrix Algebra
the early days of human OrderTheory
existence and has evolved Statisticsand Probability
alongside the complexity Trigonometry
of societies.
The Origin of Mathematics
Often, the first signs of mathematics in a society are in the form of
counting. Proof of counting has been found on bones, stones, and the
walls of caves. Some artifacts in Africa are more than 20,000 years old.
So, when was math invented? Archaeologists found multiplication
tables on clay that date back to 2500 BCE. Most societies developed
a base-ten system, likely based on the number of fingers.

Counting led to numeral systems, enabling arithmetic like addition and

multiplication. Sumerian system, later adopted by Babylonians (300
BCE). Post-arithmetic, societies explored geometry’s practical
applications in construction and time tracking.

This Sumerian tablet kept an account for the
amount of silver the governor possessed.
Mathematics developed following
the same pattern in multiple locations
around the world. For example, the
Mayans in Central America developed
a calendar system and predicted
the movement of the stars without
the knowledge of the Sumerian
system. Mathematicians in Babylonia,
India, and China all had the concept of
zero around the same time period,
with no evidence of exchanging ideas.
So, who invented math? No single
person is the inventor of math, but
many civilizations contributed to a
growing understanding of the
concepts.
Ancient Mathematics has existed in
Mathematicians different cultures around the
world, and it is important to
understand their contribution.
While many ancient
mathematicians are unknown
due to a lack of historical
records, their scientific
discoveries remain vital. Here
are just some of the important
civilizations.
 Egyptians and
Mesopotamians
This is one part of the Rhind papyrus,
the oldest textbook ever found.
Egyptian and Mesopotamian
scribes used original documents
for practical math applications.
Mesopotamian clay tablets are
more complex than Egyptian
scrolls. The Rhind papyrus, a 17th-
century BCE document by Ahmes,
is among the oldest math records,
lacking solution steps but
addressing practical problems. It’s
a copy of a text at least two
centuries older.
 Greek mathematicians
Greeks
developed systematic math
study. Pythagoras’ theorem
(530 BCE), Euclid’s Elements
(10th century CE) preserved
later. Greeks divided math into
arithmetic and geometry,
using a numeral system
similar to Roman numerals.
Explored topics like square
roots and imaginary numbers.
Euclid is known as the Father
of Geometry.
 Ancient Chinese math (pre-476
Chinese BCE) linked to mysticism and
astronomy. Numerals traced on
tortoise shells (1600 BCE), used for
religious and astronomical records.
First abacus by 476 BCE for tax,
wage, and engineering calculations.
Decimal system emerged. Chinese
math split into practical and
theoretical styles, addressing
applied concepts and introducing
negative numbers. Colored
counting rods denoted gains and
This is a Chinese abacus on display in a losses. Liu Hui calculated pi (3.14159)
Tokyo museum. with a 192-sided polygon. By the
13th century CE, Qin Jiu Shao solved
quadratic and cubic equations,
unknown to the West until the 17th
century.
 Ancient Indian math used
Sanskrit, initially passed orally. Indian
Early writings on palm
branches and birch bark.
Indian mathematicians
shared knowledge globally;
Pythagoras may have learned
from an Indian textbook.
Indians recognized zero,
infinity as numbers, prime
numbers, and had a base-60
decimal system. Trigonometry
and early calculus concepts
like sine and tangent This is mathematical proof of the
originated in India. sine law, first discovered in India
 Middle Eastern
This is a drawing of Muhammad ibn Musa
al-Khwarizmi, the creator of Algebra.
Around 800 CE, scholars
translated math scrolls. Al-
Khwarizmi pioneered Algebra,
combining knowledge from various
cultures. Islamic scholars
developed modern number
symbols (0-9). Learning from
predecessors led to decimal and
fraction growth. Fibonacci, inspired
by Middle Eastern mathematicians,
introduced “new math” in Italy,
including symbolic representations
and the first proofs of theorems.
 Ancient Mayans, pre-36 BCE,
had an advanced numbering American
system with zero. Used for
astronomy and an accurate
calendar, they employed a
base-20 system for predicting
rainfall and building pyramids.
Incans had a base-10 system
with a quipu, a complex string
device with knots and colors
for recording data. The Incan
system closely resembles the
modern place value system. This quipu is on display at the
Dallas Museum of Art.
History of Mathematics
In the 14th century, the European Renaissance spurred intellectual pursuits.
Mathematicians studied Greek and Arabic works, standardizing symbols. Math
books explained complex numbers. Rene Descartes introduced the coordinate
system (1637). Leibniz and Newton claimed calculus, unaware of its Indian origins.
The proof of pi’s irrationality was published in Switzerland in the 1760s.

1800s: Sophie Germain proved Fermat’s last theorem. George Boole created
Boolean Algebra, and Ada Lovelace wrote the first computer program. 1900s:
Srinivasa Ramanujan proved 3,000+ theorems, Alan Turing developed the Turing
machine for code-breaking, and Julia Robinson worked on decision problems.
Mathematics, a global effort, enhances understanding of the universe, as Newton
noted: “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants.”
 Conclusion
Math is the science and study of quantity, order, arrangement, and logic.
Archaeologists have found artifacts older than 20,000 years in Africa that
demonstrate the development of math. Mathematics developed in many
different societies around the world. The Chinese were the first to invent
the abacus, a set of rods and bars to compute mathematical problems.
They used it to calculate taxes, wages, and engineering solutions for large
numbers. Al-Khwarizmi created the framework for Algebra and
standardized the use of Arabic numbers (0-9). The Rhind papyrus is the
oldest mathematical textbook ever found by archaeologists. It included
both algebra and geometry problems. As mathematicians began to share
knowledge, mathematics became more complex. Ada Lovelace wrote the
first computer program in the early 1800s. Today’s computer calculations
allow for the exploration of the universe.