by Emily Amerson | Sep 27, 2021 | Math History
Hypatia is estimated to have been born in Alexandria around 370 AD [4]. Interestingly, there is more known about her death than her life [5]. She is the first woman mathematician who we have evidence of [4]. Her commentaries on older works helped them survive and be...
by Emily Amerson | Aug 27, 2021 | Math History
The constant e is one of the most widely important numbers in mathematics. It was in use many years before it was formally recognized. It’s current notation, e, comes from Euler in the early 1700s, but logarithms to base e were first seen in the work of Napier in 1618...
by Emily Amerson | Jul 27, 2021 | Math History
The word “calculus” is related to the words “calculation” and “calculate,” but the root of all of these words is the Latin root meaning “pebble” [29]. It also can mean “stone formed in a body” [7], for instance “calculi”, which are small stones formed in the...
by Emily Amerson | Jun 27, 2021 | Math History
The Mayans, Incas, and Aztec are often grouped together in historical and geographical context. We will compare the mathematics of two of these civilizations, the Mayans and the Incas. It is highly unlikely that these two people groups ever came in contact with each...
by Emily Amerson | May 25, 2021 | Math History
Due to the close geographical proximity and co-existing timeframe of ancient Egypt and ancient Greece, it is not surprising that their mathematics had several similarities. They each had two main number systems, same general uses of numbers, common materials, and...
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