Brief Summary of Historical Orientation of Mathematics - Essay Example

Write a brief summary of Historical Orientation of Mathematics combining Political Events, Cultural Events and Mathematical Ideas As far as the history of mathematics is concerned, the same can be traced back to 3000 BCE. The political and cultural events related with the evolution of mathematics bring quite a few significant things in perspective. The Base-60 place value system started to develop within Mesopotamia and the Egyptians used the base-10 for grouping different numbering systems. This was the time when Harappan civilization was getting its roots firm within India.

By 2000 BCE, Pythagorean triples and quadratic equations had started to form important basis. In about a thousand years’ time, by 1000 BCE, the Pythagorean Theorem was coined in China. In 500 BCE, cubes were being used immensely well within Europe. 400 BCE saw Plato, Theaeteus, Eudoxus and Aristotle doing their significant works within Europe. 300 BCE was known for the Archimedes Principle in Europe, and Euclid and Apollonius in Asia and Africa. Trigonometry began in 200 BCE in African and Asian regions.

300 CE saw Pappus doing some important work within the field of mathematics in Asia. 500 CE brought with it the volume of sphere in China, Asia. 700 CE was known for the decimal value system in India while Al-Khwarizmi and algebra are best known for in the 800 CE century. 1000 CE saw the coining of sums of power in Africa as well as the inventions of Omar Khayyam in Asia related with cubics and their solutions (Cajori 1919). By about the same time, the Pascal triangle was also instituted in China.

In 1100 CE, there were important translations done with regards to works in mathematics from Arabic to Latin. 1200 CE was famous for Leonardo of Pisa in Europe and Nasir-ud-Din al-Tusi in Asia. Kinematics came into being in 1300 CE in Europe while solutions of cubic equations was studied in-depth by about 1500 CE in the same continent. 1600 CE saw Galileo doing important work within logarithms, geometry and calculus in Europe while 1900 CE is famous for algebra abstraction, computer revolution and statistical methodology.

Works Cited Cajori, Florian. A History of Mathematics. Macmillan, 1919 Word Count: 333