Do You Know Who Invented Math?
Carl Friedrich Gauss famously declared mathematics the “queen of the sciences.” However, as history’s renowned mathematician, he might have been slightly biased. Ask a physicist, and she might retort with the provocative analogy that “physics is to mathematics what sex is to masturbation.”
But regardless of whether mathematics wears the crown, it undoubtedly stands as the doyenne of the sciences. Its roots extend far back in history, preceding other forms of rational inquiry by millennia. When Ibn al-Haytham laid science foundations in the 10th century, he relied upon centuries of mathematical knowledge and discovery.
This raises an intriguing question: who initiated this journey?
Lead us not into temptation
The earliest “mathematicians” – the first individuals referred to as such in English – were far more formidable than today’s number-crunching enthusiasts.
In the second quarter of the 15th century, an anonymous translator of Ranulf Higden’s Polychronicon used the term “mathematician” in English for the first time. The passage recounts the reign of Domitian, Emperor of Rome from 81 to 96 CE, notorious for his authoritarian rule. Domitian’s disdain for philosophers, adulterers, mimes, and mathematicians led to their expulsion from Rome.
Art in heaven
Saint Augustine of Hippo cautioned against mathematicians, although he likely referred to astrologers rather than mathematicians. Nonetheless, this translation error hints at an earlier era in mathematical history.
Different ancient civilizations approached mathematics uniquely. The Greeks embraced geometry and logic for theorem development, while the Babylonians focused on astronomy. The oldest Babylonian mathematical records date back to 1600 BCE, reflecting an ancient tradition spanning over 2000 years.
The first named mathematician
Egyptians, too, had a profound mathematical legacy, evident in their base-10 numeral system and practical applications in agriculture, administration, and construction, notably demonstrated in the construction of the Great Pyramid at Giza.
Ahmes, the author of the Rhind Papyrus, emerges as the earliest named mathematician, though little is known about him.
In the beginning
However, to trace mathematics’s origins, we must venture beyond written records. The Ishango bone, dating back 20,000 to 25,000 years, bears notches, suggesting an understanding of numerical patterns and concepts such as duplication and prime numbers.
This artifact, among others, offers a glimpse into the primal origins of mathematics, with its creator representing humanity’s first known mathematician.
Read the otiginal article on IFL Science.
Raed more: Stability of Spherical Vortices Proven Through Mathematics.
