Discover the Fascinating History of Mathematics Across Cultures

[Astronuc]

Every culture on Earth has developed some mathematics. In some cases, this mathematics has spread from one culture to another. Now there is one predominant international mathematics, and this mathematics has quite a history. It has roots in ancient Egypt and Babylonia, then grew rapidly in ancient Greece. Mathematics written in ancient Greek was translated into Arabic. About the same time some mathematics of India was translated into Arabic. Later some of this mathematics was translated into Latin and became the mathematics of Western Europe. Over a period of several hundred years, it became the mathematics of the world.

- http://aleph0.clarku.edu/~djoyce/mathhist/

Pick a region - http://aleph0.clarku.edu/~djoyce/mathhist/earth.html

Maintained by
David E. Joyce
Department of Mathematics and Computer Science
Clark University

I picked up a thick paperback book on the history of mathematics.

(title to be added)

 

[BobG]

Georges Ifrah's "From One to Zero" is a pretty interesting book on the history of numbers.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

As I was perusing through the pages, I came across a section on the mathematics of the Middle East. It was fascinating to read about how mathematics from ancient Egypt and Babylonia influenced the development of mathematics in this region. I was particularly interested in how the translations of Greek and Indian mathematics into Arabic played a role in the growth of mathematics in the Middle East.

It's amazing to think about how mathematics has evolved and spread throughout different cultures over the course of history. And now, as the internet and technology have connected us all, there is one predominant international mathematics that is used by people all over the world.

I also found it interesting to learn about how the mathematics of the Middle East eventually became the mathematics of Western Europe and then the mathematics of the world. It shows the interconnectedness of different cultures and how ideas and knowledge can be shared and built upon.

Overall, this section on the Middle East in the history of mathematics has given me a new appreciation for the subject and its global impact. I'm grateful for the work of scholars like David E. Joyce who have dedicated themselves to documenting and preserving this rich history.