Maths – Famous Mathematicians Janani Srinivassan

Pythagoras

Pythagoras was born in 570 BC (Before the birth of Christ) on the island of Samos and he died in 495 BC in the city of Metapontum. He was Greek philosopher and mathematician, known best for the Pythagorean Theorem. He founded a school in Croton, which made outstanding contributions to the field of mathematics. Pythagoras and his cult members believed that everything was related to mathematics and agreed that, eventually, “all is number”. Pythagoras is also famous for his study of sound and his theorem relating the lengths of the side of a right triangle.

Maths – Famous Mathematicians Janani Srinivassan

Leonhard Euler

Leonhard Euler was born Switzerland in 1707 and died in Russia in 1783. He was a Mathematician and a physicist. Euler’s parents were very religious, his father being pastor and his mother the daughter of a pastor. Euler himself, religion was very important too, but even though he studied theology. He attended the University of Basel, where he studied mathematics. At a very young age of 15 Euler received his Bachelor’s degree from the University and one year later completed his Master degree. Euler contributed to the subjects of geometry, calculus, trigonometry, and number theory. He standardised modern maths using Greek symbols that continue to be used today. Euler contributed to the subjects of geometry, calculus, trigonometry, and number theory. He standardised modern maths using Greek symbols that continue to be used today. He also contributed to the fields of astronomy, mechanic, optics and acoustics and made a major contribution to theoretical aerodynamics.

Euler even found a new theorem in Euclidean geometry, a field which had been looked at as completed. Here's a short explanation of this theorem:

The three heights of a triangle meet in point H, and the three perpendicular bisectors in point M. Point E in the middle of the line between H and M is the centre of a circle on which are all the intersections of the heights and the perpendicular bisectors with the triangle.

Euler didn't only make a lot of research, but also wrote a number of school books. Through that he played an important part in defining the mathematical symbols we use today.

Maths – Famous Mathematicians Janani Srinivassan