BLAISE PASCAL

LEONHARD EULER

CARL FRIEDRICH

GAUSS

PYTHAGORAS OF SAMOS

ALAN TURINGLEONARDO FIBONACCI

EUCLID

GREAT MATHEMATICIANS the shapers of our world

ISAAC NEWTON

Mathematics has witnessed some of the most genius brains pondering over complex problems and solving them to unravel mysteries of Universe, science, and life. The world salutes the great mathematicians and their contributions. Mathematics knows no religion, culture, colour, creed, or gender. There is certainly no end to the series of such great people, whose works created the platform for others to produce seminal works in mathematics.

Often called the language of the universe, mathematics is fundamental to our understanding of the world and, as such, is vitally important in a modern society such as ours. Everywhere you look it is likely mathematics has made an impact, from the faucet in your kitchen to the satellite that beams your television programs to your home. Mathematics is a field that many people shy away from, but there are some who had a passion for numbers and making discoveries regarding equations, measurements, and other numerical solutions in history. They looked for ways to understand the world as it relates to numbers and their contributions have been very important for their generation and beyond.

BLAISE PASCAL

LEONHARD EULER

CARL FRIEDRICH

GAUSS

PYTHAGORAS OF SAMOS

ALAN TURINGLEONARDO FIBONACCI

EUCLID

GREAT MATHEMATICIANS the shapers of our world

ISAAC NEWTON

Before scientists can develop medicines or engineers can advance technology, they throw numbers onto whiteboards using concepts laid out by mathematicians sometimes centuries earlier.Generations of school children might disagree, but no other field of study has played a bigger role in changing the course ofhistory as mathematics.Unfortunately, mathematicians often get little recognition for their contributions to history.This is changing right now.

I have rated them based on contributions and how they effected mathematics at the time, as well as their lasting effect.As always, such lists are highly opinionated, and as such please include your own additions in the comments.If you think your Maths Teacher deserves a mention, please do notify us… We’ll evaluate himBelow is a list of names and accomplishments of the greatest mathematicians of all time.

Blaise Pascal was a French mathematician, physicist, inventor, writer and Christian philosopher. He was a child prodigy who was educated by his father, a tax collector in Rouen.

FAMOUS FOR: Pascal’s Triangle

Pascal is recognized for two mathematical areas of study, projective geometry and probability theory. He describes in his paper, Treatise on the Arithmetical Triangle, an easy to understand table of “binomial coefficients” known as Pascal’s Triangle

Pascal invented an early version of the roulette wheel and created the hydraulic press. He developed the syringe. He also made early contributions to probability theory and actuarial science, and made the first mechanical calculator.

The unit of atmospheric pressure, Pascal (Pa) has been named in his honour. He also contributed to the field of computers, and the programming language Pascal was named after him, in 1972.

BLAISE PASCAL

LEONHARD EULER

CARL FRIEDRICH

GAUSS

PYTHAGORAS OF SAMOS

ALAN TURINGLEONARDO FIBONACCI

EUCLID

GREAT MATHEMATICIANS the shapers of our world

ISAAC NEWTON

Leonhard Euler was a pioneering Swiss mathematician and physicist. He made important discoveries in fields as diverse as infinitesimal calculus and graph theory.

FAMOUS FOR: Euler’s identity formula, modern analytic geometry, trigonometry

In his day he was ground breaking and on par with Einstein in genius. His primary (if that’s possible) contribution to the field is with the introduction of mathematical notation including the concept of a function (and how it is written as f(x)), shorthand trigonometric functions, the ‘e’ for the base of the natural logarithm (The Euler Constant), the Greek letter Sigma for summation and the letter ‘/i’ for imaginary units, as well as the symbol pi for the ratio of a circles circumference to its diameter.

All of which play a huge bearing on modern mathematics, from the everyday to the incredibly complex. As well as this, he also solved the Seven Bridges of Koenigsberg problem in graph theory, found the Euler Characteristic for connecting the number of vertices, edges and faces of an object, and (dis)proved many well-known theories, too many to list. . His mathematical works and research in optics, mechanics, and fluid dynamics have been hailed to be very influential.

It is no coincidence that industry and technological developments rapidly increased around this time.

BLAISE PASCAL

LEONHARD EULER

CARL FRIEDRICH

GAUSS

PYTHAGORAS OF SAMOS

ALAN TURINGLEONARDO FIBONACCI

EUCLID

GREAT MATHEMATICIANS the shapers of our world

ISAAC NEWTON

Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss was a German mathematician who contributed significantly to many fields, including number theory, algebra, statistics, analysis, differential geometry, geodesy, geophysics etc

FAMOUS FOR: Gaussian distribution, Gauss Law, Statistics

Child prodigy Gauss, Princeps mathematicorum meaning ‘Prince of Mathematics’, made his first major discovery whilst still a teenager, and wrote the incredible Disquisitiones Arithmeticae, his magnum opus, by the time he was 21. Many know Gauss for his outstanding mental ability – quoted to have added the numbers 1 to 100 within seconds whilst attending primary school (with the aid of a clever trick). The local Duke, recognizing his talent, sent him to Collegium Carolinum before he left for Gottingen (at the time it was the most prestigious mathematical university in the world, with many of the best attending).

After graduating in 1798 (at the age of 22), he began to make several important contributions in major areas of mathematics, most notably number theory (especially on Prime numbers). He went on to prove the fundamental theorem of algebra, and introduced the Gaussian gravitational constant in physics, as well as much more – all this before he was 24! Needless to say, he continued his work up until his death at the age of 77, and had made major advances in the field which have echoed down through time.

The bell-curved normal distribution is a now central element of modern-day statistics and is sometimes referred to as the Gaussian distribution. Gauss also was interested in the field of differential equations, which are pervasive in modern engineering. He was also central in developing the theorem which established important properties of curvature. He would later co-design the first electromagnetic telegraph in 1833.

BLAISE PASCAL

LEONHARD EULER

CARL FRIEDRICH

GAUSS

PYTHAGORAS OF SAMOS

ALAN TURINGLEONARDO FIBONACCI

EUCLID

GREAT MATHEMATICIANS the shapers of our world

ISAAC NEWTON

Pythagoras of Samos was an Ionian Greek philosopher, mathematician, and has been credited as the founder of the movement called Pythagoreanism.

FAMOUS FOR: Pythagorean Theorem

The Greek philosopher, known as the 'father of numbers', is famous for the discovery of Pythagorean theorem formula, which states that in a right angled triangle, the square of the hypotenuse (z), is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides, x and y -that is, x2 + y2 = z2.

Greek Mathematician Pythagoras is considered by some to be one of the first great mathematicians. Living around 570 to 495 BC, in modern day Greece, he is known to have founded the Pythagorean cult, who were noted by Aristotle to be one of the first groups to actively study and advance mathematics.

But, unlike most ancient theories, it played a bearing on the development of geometry, as well as opening the door to the study of mathematics as a worthwhile endeavor. Thus, he could be called the founding father of modern mathematics.

BLAISE PASCAL

LEONHARD EULER

CARL FRIEDRICH

GAUSS

PYTHAGORAS OF SAMOS

ALAN TURINGLEONARDO FIBONACCI

EUCLID

GREAT MATHEMATICIANS the shapers of our world

ISAAC NEWTON

Alan Mathison Turing, OBE, FRS was a British pioneering computer scientist, mathematician, logician, cryptanalyst, mathematical biologist, and marathon and ultra-distance runner.

FAMOUS FOR: Father of computer science

Alan Turing is a British mathematician who is hailed as the father of computer science. His work laid the groundwork for the PC you're presumably reading this on.

Turing’s fame as a mathematician can be attributed to his formulating of algorithms and computations for a computer, the Turing Machine. His mathematical background helped device techniques in code breaking, specifically in World War 2. In 1948 Turing became interested in mathematical biology.

Turing is especially unique on this list for his efforts during the Second World War. Working at the famous Bletchley Park, Turing is credited as one of most important people in devising the techniques for breaking the German Enigma cipher.

He developed the method by which the Bombe – a massive electromechanical machine built by the Allies – could crack the Enigma on an industrial scale, allowing them to read nearly all German communication. In that regard, he is one of the founders of modern cryptanalysis, and by all rights played one of the most crucial parts in winning the Battle of the Atlantic for the Allies.

BLAISE PASCAL

LEONHARD EULER

CARL FRIEDRICH

GAUSS

PYTHAGORAS OF SAMOS

ALAN TURINGLEONARDO FIBONACCI

EUCLID

GREAT MATHEMATICIANS the shapers of our world

ISAAC NEWTON

Leonardo Bonacci —known as Fibonacci, and also Leonardo of Pisa, Leonardo Pisano Bigollo, Leonardo Fibonacci—was an Italian mathematician, considered to be "the most talented Western mathematician of the Middle Ages"

FAMOUS FOR: Fibonacci sequence

Leonardo of Pisa, the greatest European Italian scholar, popularly known as Fibonacci, was the first to introduce the Hindu - Arabic system in Europe, i.e., the positional system of using ten digits with a decimal point and zero. He is popular for using Fibonacci number sequence, i.e., 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, ... in the book authored by him, known as Book of Calculation, the Liber Abaci.

Haven spent a large portion of his childhood within North Africa he learned the Arabic numbering system, and upon realizing it was far simpler and more efficient then the bulky Roman numerals, decided to travel the Arab world learning from the leading mathematicians of the day. Upon returning to Italy in 1202, he published his Liber Abaci, whereupon the Arabic numbers were introduced and applied to many world situations to further advocate their use. As a result of his work the system was gradually adopted and today he is considered a major player in the development of modern mathematics.

BLAISE PASCAL

LEONHARD EULER

CARL FRIEDRICH

GAUSS

PYTHAGORAS OF SAMOS

ALAN TURINGLEONARDO FIBONACCI

EUCLID

GREAT MATHEMATICIANS the shapers of our world

ISAAC NEWTON

Euclid, sometimes called Euclid of Alexandria to distinguish him from Euclid of Megara, was a Greek mathematician, often referred to as the "Father of Geometry". He was active in Alexandria during the reign of Ptolemy I.

FAMOUS FOR: Father of geometry

Euclid, the 'father of Geometry', wrote the book ,"Euclid's Elements", that is considered to be the greatest piece of historical works in mathematics. The book is divided into 13 parts and in it, Euclid has discussed in details about geometry (what is now called Euclidean geometry). His works are also well-known in the fields of spherical geometry, conic sections, and number theory.

Euclid was among the first to formalize mathematical proofs, the primary method of exposition for the discipline.

Unfortunately, very little is known about his life, and what exists was written long after his presumed death. Nonetheless, Euclid is credited with the instruction of the rigorous, logical proof for theorems and conjectures. Such a framework is still used to this day, and thus, arguably, he has had the greatest influence of all mathematicians on this list.

BLAISE PASCAL

LEONHARD EULER

CARL FRIEDRICH

GAUSS

PYTHAGORAS OF SAMOS

ALAN TURINGLEONARDO FIBONACCI

EUCLID

GREAT MATHEMATICIANS the shapers of our world

ISAAC NEWTON

Sir Isaac Newton PRS MP was an English physicist and mathematician who is widely recognised as one of the most influential scientists of all time and as a key figure in the scientific revolution.

FAMOUS FOR: Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy

While not exactly obscure, this list would be incomplete without a mention of Sir Isaac Newton, the English luminary of the Scientific Revolution.

The book of Sir Isaac Newton, Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy, became the catalyst to understanding mechanics. He is also the person credited for the development of the binomial theorem.

Newton developed early physics, a scientific method, the theory of universal gravitation, and calculus. He advanced the technology of the telescope, and developed Newtonian Mechanics. Newton's laws are well known today even by people outside of the scientific community. His impact on modern physics is nearly impossible to overstate.

Using Calculus, he made it easier to find the area bounded by closed curves. In physics, his most world-changing work was the discovery of existence of gravitational force in our surrounding.

BLAISE PASCAL

LEONHARD EULER

CARL FRIEDRICH

GAUSS

PYTHAGORAS OF SAMOS

ALAN TURINGLEONARDO FIBONACCI

EUCLID

GREAT MATHEMATICIANS the shapers of our world

ISAAC NEWTON