Category: History of Math

The Actual Fermat-Pascal Correspondence

History of Math

If you are a lover of the history of mathematics, then I am sure that you will be fermat-pascal correspondenceinterested to read the translation of the actual Fermat-Pascal correspondence. In the letters the two mathematicians discussed solutions to gambling problems. These discussions eventually led to understanding of the modern concepts of probability.

Blaise Pascal was a known mathematician, physicist, philospher and inventor in his time. He was also famous for inventing the pascal’s calculator, the first mechanical calculator that could perform automatic addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.  Pierre Fermat, on the other hand, was an amateur mathematician (he was a lawyer by profession) who made significant contributions in number theory, analytic geometry,  and probability. One of his famous conjectures was the Fermat’s Last Theorem. 

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7 Extraordinary Mathematicians You Should Know About

High School Mathematics, History of Math
There are numerous mathematicians who have made significant contributions in the field of mathematics. We cannot argue the mathematical greatness of Euclid, Newton, Gauss, Euler, and others who have set the foundation to the many branches of mathematics. In this post, we learn about 7 extraordinary mathematicians who are quite less known — less known in the sense that they are probably familiar to those who study mathematics and related fields.

1. Evariste Galois (1811-1832, France)
Evariste Galois was probably the most unfortunate mathematician who ever lived. He lived during the political turmoil in France. He failed the entrance examinations at Ecole Polytechnique twice because he could not explain his answers, was jailed for six months, and died in a duel at the age of 21.

Evariste Galois

Galois was  ahead of his time. In his teens, he was able to determine necessary and sufficient conditions for algebraic solutions of polynomials to exist. He barely attended college, but most of his contemporaries could not understand his work. He submitted research papers that were either lost or “incomprehensible.”  It was only 14 years after his death that the mathematics community was able to recognize the value of his work.

Despite his short life and his numerous misfortunes, his works gave a firm foundation to group theory. » Read more

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The 10 Misfortunes of Evariste Galois

History of Math, Miscellaneous

If you think you’re unfortunate, you should read the biography of Evariste Galois, a mathematical genius who was one of the founders of group theory. He lived during a political turmoil in France, and his life was filled with bad luck and disappointments.

Evariste Galois

Below are the 10 most notable misfortunes of Galois’ life. » Read more

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