Mathematicians of the World - Version 2.pdf
- 2. Pythagoras’ Theorem! (even though he wasn’t the first to discover it) Discovering basic music theory and starting an ancient religious movement Pythagoras (c. 570 BCE – c. 495 BCE) Nationality Greek Known for
- 3. Being seen as the ‘founder of geometry’ Writing The Elements 13 volumes of maths that are the second most published books in the world (after the Bible) Euclid (c. 300 BCE) Nationality Greek Known for
- 4. Being the earliest known female mathematician Writing early textbooks on geometry and algebra Teaching astronomy with devices called astrolabes Hypatia (c. 355 – 415) Nationality Egyptian Known for
- 5. Writing Aryabhatiyia, 121 verses summarising Hindu mathematics and astronomy Calculating 𝜋 to four decimal places Finding the length of a year to within 4 minutes Indian Aryabhata (476 – 550) Nationality Known for
- 6. Being the first to develop rules for calculating with the number zero Finding the first general method for solving quadratic equations, equivalent to the quadratic formula Indian Brahmagupta (c. 598 – c. 668) Nationality Known for
- 7. Being the founder of algebra, developing the first systematic methods for solving equations Introducing the Arabic numerals we use today to theWestern world Persian al-Khwarizmi (c. 780 – c. 850) Nationality Known for
- 8. The Fibonacci sequence! (1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21…) Bringing the notation and discoveries of Asian and African mathematics to Europe, including the Arabic numeral system Italian Leonardo Fibonacci (1170 – 1250) Nationality Known for
- 9. Being the first English speaker to use + and − symbols Inventing the equals sign (=) and using it in the earliest recorded algebraic equation 14𝑥 + 15 = 71 Robert Recorde (c. 1512 – 1558) Nationality Known for Welsh
- 10. Introducing Cartesian co-ordinates (𝑥, 𝑦) and algebraic notation such as indices Being the founder of modernWestern philosophy, claiming ‘I think, therefore I am’ French René Descartes (1596 – 1558) Nationality Known for
- 11. Pascal’sTriangle! 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 3 3 1 Inventing the first mechanical calculator Working with Fermat to develop the first theory of probability French Blaise Pascal (1623 – 1662) Nationality Known for
- 12. Studying the laws of gravity and mechanics Inventing calculus, alongside Leibniz Building the first reflecting telescope British Isaac Newton (1642 – 1726) Nationality Known for
- 13. Being the most prolific mathematician of all time, writing 500 books Solving the Seven Bridges of Königsberg Swiss Leonhard Euler (1707 – 1783) Nationality Known for
- 14. Writing the first calculus textbook and being the world’s first female maths professor Studying the ‘Witch of Agnesi’, a curve that models the shape of hills Italian Maria Gaetana Agnesi (1718 – 1799) Nationality Known for
- 15. Publishing Tyrocinio aritmético, a book teaching real-world maths, aged only 17 Writing under the male pseudonym Casandro Mamés de la Marca y Aranoa, an anagram of her real name Spanish María Andresa Casamayor (1720 – 1759) Nationality Known for
- 16. Writing 12 books covering trigonometry, astronomy, poetry and sexism Creating a model to explain lunar eclipses, using a lamp as the sun and a mirror as the moon Chinese Wang Zhenyi (1768 – 1797) Nationality Known for
- 17. Teaching herself maths in secret, inspired by the death of Archimedes Discoveries about elasticity, acoustics and vibrations Writing a partial proof of Fermat’s LastTheorem French Sophie Germain (1776 – 1831) Nationality Known for
- 18. Being the ‘Prince of Mathematicians’ At age 7, adding the integers from 1 to 100 almost instantly Constructing a heptadecagon German Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777 – 1855) Nationality Known for
- 19. Publishing books on maths, astronomy, geography and botany Inspiring the discovery of Neptune Being the first person described in print as a 'scientist' Scottish Mary Somerville (1780 – 1872) Nationality Known for
- 20. Inventing quaternions, a number system extending beyond complex numbers used in quantum mechanics Irish William Rowan Hamilton (1805 – 1865) Nationality Known for
- 21. Being seen as the first computer programmer, working with Charles Babbage and his ‘Analytical Engine’ Being the only legitimate child of poet Lord Byron British Ada Lovelace (1815 – 1852) Nationality Known for
- 22. Being ‘The LadyWith the Lamp’, founding modern nursing Developing ways to graphically represent statistics, including pie charts and polar area diagrams British Florence Nightingale (1820 – 1910) Nationality Known for
- 23. Developing statistical mechanics, the use of statistics and probability to understand how scientific results Explaining the second law of thermodynamics, disproving perpetual motion devices Austrian Ludwig Boltzmann (1844 – 1906) Nationality Known for
- 24. Studying partial differential equations and the shape of Saturn’s rings Being the first female mathematician to be awarded a PhD and the first woman to be a mathematics professor Russian Sofia Kovalevskaya (1850 – 1891) Nationality Known for
- 25. The Riemann Hypothesis The greatest unsolved problem in mathematics Giving a rigorous formalisation of integral calculus and laying the foundations for quantum mechanics German Bernhard Riemann (1862 – 1943) Nationality Known for
- 26. Noether’sTheorem connecting symmetry and scientific laws such as energy conservation Being banned from teaching by the Nazi party due to being Jewish German Emmy Noether (1882 – 1935) Nationality Known for
- 27. Teaching himself maths and going on to discover 3900 new results, identities and equations Working with G. H. Hardy, as shown in the film The ManWho Knew Infinity Indian Srinivasa Ramanujan (1887 – 1920) Nationality Known for
- 28. Writing books of maths puzzles, word problems and tales, selling over two million copies worldwide Promoting the teaching of mathematics through games and real-world connections Brazilian Júlio César de Mello e Souza (1895 – 1974) Nationality Known for
- 29. Creating artworks inspired by mathematics involving symmetries, hyperbolic geometry, and impossible objects Dutch M. C. Escher (1898 – 1972) Nationality Known for
- 30. Founding the field of GameTheory, the study of strategies and human behaviour Working on the Manhattan Project duringWW2, developing mathematical models of nuclear weapons Hungarian John von Neumann (1903 – 1957) Nationality Known for
- 31. Being the ‘father of modern differential geometry’, the study of smooth spaces Developing ideas in topology knot theory used in theoretical physics for string theory Chinese Shiing-Shen Chern (1911 – 2004) Nationality Known for
- 32. Pioneering computer science and working on the earliest computers Cracking the Enigma code machine inWW2 Being persecuted by the state due to his sexuality Being on the £50 note British AlanTuring (1912 – 1954) Nationality Known for
- 33. Collaborating with over 500 mathematicians and co-writing 1500 papers Solving problems across graph theory, number theory, combinatorics, analysis, probability and other areas of maths Hungarian Paul Erdős (1913 – 1996) Nationality Known for
- 34. Being the first Japanese mathematician to receive a Fields Medal, for his work in harmonic analysis, an area which helps understand music, tides and electricity Aged 10, ‘proving’ that dogs can’t count Japanese Kunihiko Kodaira (1915 – 1997) Nationality Known for
- 35. Performing vital calculations of orbits that enabled NASA’s first crewed spaceflights Overcoming racial discrimination and being given the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her contributions American Katherine Johnson (1918 – 2020) Nationality Known for
- 36. Inventing Nemeth Braille, a way for maths and science to be written and accessed by blind mathematicians, scientists and engineers for decades to come Teaching soldiers returning fromWW2 American Abraham Nemeth (1918 – 2013) Nationality Known for
- 37. Studying the maths and physics of air flow for NASA aircraft Having her story told in the film Hidden Figures, along with two other Black female NASA mathematicians American Mary Jackson (1921 – 2005) Nationality Known for
- 38. Authoring over 350 mathematical works, including 20 books Being imprisoned for six years in a Siberian gulag for promoting Ukrainian independence from the Soviet Union Ukrainian NinaVirchenko (1930 – ) Nationality Known for
- 39. Teaching advanced mathematics to working-class students with such success that they were falsely accused of cheating Having his story told in the film Stand and Deliver Bolivian Jaime Escalante (1930 – 2010) Nationality Known for
- 40. Developing techniques for using X-rays to analyse the electronic structure of materials Promoting mathematics, physics and computer education at all levels throughout Africa. Ghanaian Francis Allotey (1932 – 2017) Nationality Known for
- 41. Writing books and training teachers in mathematics Being the first Nigerian woman to be awarded a doctorate and the first femaleVice Chancellor of a Nigerian University Nigerian Grace Alele-Williams (1932 – 2022) Nationality Known for
- 42. Working with mathematician Grothendieck in studying group theory, the understanding of abstract symmetries and relationships FoundingVietnam’s first private university Vietnamese Hoàng Xuân Sính (1933 – ) Nationality Known for
- 43. Studying probability and ergodic theory, the mathematics of how random dynamic systems evolve over time, such as calculating whether a gambler will eventually ‘go bust’ Romanian Alexandra Bellow (1935 – ) Nationality Known for
- 44. Studying differential equations describing the orbits of planets and moons Teaching maths across different Amercian universities, creating strategies for teaching disadvantaged students Cuban ArgeliaVelez-Rodriguez (1936 – ) Nationality Known for
- 45. Being imprisoned for thirteen years alongside Nelson Mandela for opposingAparthied in South Africa Completing a degree in Mathematical Statistics while imprisoned on on Robben Island South African Andrew Masondo (1936 – ) Nationality Known for
- 46. Inventing methods that simplified the design and manufacture of computer microchips Promoting transgender rights, having been fired by IBM after transitioning in 1968 American Lynn Conway (1938 – ) Nationality Known for
- 47. Teaching mathematics and science to school and university students in Jamaica and Canada Living by the motto, “Age quod agis” (Do whatever you do well) Jamaican Jean Springer (1939 – ) Nationality Known for
- 48. Working as a mathematical economist to develop the carbon credit market system used in the Kyoto Protocol international treaty to tackle climate change Argentinian Graciela Chichilnisky (1944 – ) Nationality Known for
- 49. Studying the economic history of the French franc currency in Africa Writing a comic book called Yao crack en maths, with sketches about the challenges of learning maths Ivorian Joséphine Guidy Wandja (1945 – ) Nationality Known for
- 50. Contributing to the field of network science, the study of large information networks like the internet Collaborating on graph theory with Paul Erdős and her husband Ron Graham Taiwanese Fan Chung (1949 – ) Nationality Known for
- 51. Being a co-inventor, along with Ron Rivest and Len Adleman, of the RSA cryptography system which uses prime numbers to make transactions and communications over the internet secure Israeli Adi Shamir (1952 – ) Nationality Known for
- 52. Proving Fermat’s Last Theorem, a problem that stood unsolved for 358 years, considered by many to be the greatest mathematical achievement of the 20th century British Andrew Wiles (1953 – ) Nationality Known for
- 53. Developing the maths behind image compression, allowing photos and videos to be sent over the internet Being the first female president of the International Mathematical Union Belgian Ingrid Daubechies (1954 – ) Nationality Known for
- 54. Representing hyperbolic planes through crochet when teaching geometry, to much media attention Writing three geometry textbooks, featuring her crocheted models Latvian DainaTaimiņa (1954 – ) Nationality Known for
- 55. Being an expert in ethnomathematics, the study of the relationship between mathematics and culture Growing up in refugee camps in Equatorial Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone Nigerian Nkechi Agwu (1962 – ) Nationality Known for
- 56. Studying the maths behind how gravity can bend light through gravitational lensing Being a leading figure in studying mathematical astronomy, the use of advanced maths to understand space Belizean Arlie Petters (1964 – ) Nationality Known for
- 57. Proving the Poincaré conjecture, one of the seven Clay Millennium prize problems, but going on to reject both the 1 million dollar prize fund and a Fields medal Russian Grigori Perelman (1966 – ) Nationality Known for
- 58. Work in aerodynamics, the study of objects move through the air Advocating for the wider participation of LGBTQIA+ people and racial minorities in mathematics Grenadian Ron Buckmire (1968 – ) Nationality Known for
- 59. Researching string theory, the scientific theory that the universe is made up of vibrating one-dimensional strings Advocating for LGBTQIA+ and disabled communities New Zealander A. W. Peet (1968 – ) Nationality Known for
- 60. Researching quantum probability, a branch of maths connecting quantum mechanics and probability Leading the Polish political party Nowoczesna Polish Katarzyna Lubnauer (1969 – ) Nationality Known for
- 61. Studying the topology of DNA, using computer simulations and mathematics to understand how DNA is packed into our cells Being featured in popularYoutube videos about the shape of DNA Mexican MarielVázquez (1971 – ) Nationality Known for
- 62. Proving the Fundamental Lemma, a vital bridge connecting number theory and geometry Being awarded the Fields medal in 2010, the firstVietnamese mathematician to do so Vietnamese Ngô Bảo Châu (1972 – ) Nationality Known for
- 63. Being the ‘Mozart of mathematics’, with significant contributions across all of mathematics Receiving the Fields medal in 2006, the first Australian to do so Australian TerranceTao (1975 – ) Nationality Known for
- 64. Solving problems in hyperbolic geometry, the study of surfaces shaped like Pringles Being the first woman to receive the Fields medal Iranian Maryam Mirzakhani (1977 – 2017) Nationality Known for
- 65. Researching and teaching combinatorics, the study of counting arrangements and combinations Promoting diversity and inclusion within mathematics Colombian Federico Ardila (1977 – ) Nationality Known for
- 66. Discoveries in topology and knot theory, a field with applications in theoretical physics and understanding DNA Promoting trans rights and furthering LGBTQIA+ equality in STEM American Autumn Kent (1978 – ) Nationality Known for
- 67. Applying numerical methods to the partial differential equations that describe the geothermal systems below the earth’s crust, helping develop technologies to extract geothermal energy Norwegian Inga Berre (1978 – ) Nationality Known for
- 68. Making discoveries in dynamical systems, studying the chaotic behaviour and solving the ‘ten martinis’ problem Being the first Latin- American to receive the Fields medal Brazilian Artur Avila (1979 – ) Nationality Known for
- 69. Completing a maths degree aged only 16 Winning the Fields medal for his ‘profound contributions to an exceptionally broad range of subjects in mathematics’ Australian AkshayVenkatesh (1975 – ) Nationality Known for
- 70. Being named the EU Young Scientist of the Year aged 16 for developing a fast and secure encryption algorithm, as described in her book In Code: A MathematicalJourney Irish Sarah Flannery (1982 – ) Nationality Known for
- 71. Proving Read’s conjecture, a problem that had been unsolved for over 40 years in the field of graph theory, the study of networks Being awarded the Fields medal in 2022, the first Korean to do so Korean June Huh (1983 – ) Nationality Known for
- 72. Studying the maths behind human interactions, including how pandemics spread Presenting television shows for the BBC and writing books about real-world mathematics British Hannah Fry (1984 – ) Nationality Known for
- 73. Solving the problem of how to pack spheres as efficiently as possible, but in 8 and 24 dimensions Being awarded the Fields medal in 2022, the second woman to do so Ukrainian MarynaViazovska (1984 – ) Nationality Known for
- 74. Making videos on Youtube with over 100 million views teaching maths through doodles, music and craft Researching virtual reality and the US response to the covid pandemic American Vi Hart (1988 – ) Nationality Known for
- 75. Using mathematical equations and programming to design textiles Building the global fashion brand Diarrablu, all while being a high school maths teacher Senegalese Diarra Bousso Gueye (1989 – ) Nationality Known for
- 76. Studying mathematics while being a professional American Football player, playing three seasons in the NFL Writing the bestselling book, Mind and Matter: A Life in Math and Football American John Urschel (1991 – ) Nationality Known for
- 77. Using algorithms and artificial intelligence to tackle discrimination and inequalities, and to improve opportunities for people from disadvantaged communities Ethiopian Rediet Abebe (1991 – ) Nationality Known for
- 78. Teaching maths to more than 1 million followers onTikTok, while dressed in drag Making videos about maths in the news, personal finance, and mathematical riddles Canadian Kyne Santos (1998 – ) Nationality Known for
- 79. Researching and communicating the astronomic knowledge of Indigenous Australians, such as the use of moon halos to predict storms and weather patterns Australian Karlie Noon Nationality Known for
- 80. Applying numerical methods and differential equations to be able to simulate and predict natural disasters such as earthquakes, storm surges and tsunamis Bangladeshi Hasibun Naher Nationality Known for
- 81. Using fluid dynamics to mathematically model the earth’s oceans and atmosphere Developing methods for tracing the sources of greenhouse gases, helping tackle climate change Barbadian Lucy Campbell Nationality Known for
- 82. Making mathematical models of the human cardiovascular system, used to design stents and develop alternatives to open- heart surgery Croatian Sunčica Čanić Nationality Known for
- 83. MakingYoutube videos teaching the maths behind video game development and graphics, with millions of views Creating animations explaining different mathematical ideas Swedish Freya Holmér Nationality Known for