Greek Contributions
Greeks gave us the Pythagorean Theorem and Geometry.
We use many of their signs, such as Beta and Theta in math today.
When the whole of Western Europe came under the Roman Empire, the centres of mathematical intellect shifted towards the east - China, India and the Arabs. But the contribution of the Greeks to mathematics cannot be overlooked. They set down the basics of algebra, geometry and mensuration which form a large part of mathmatics even today.
Greek mathematics has origins that are presumed to go back to the 7th century BC, but are not easily documented. It is generally believed that it built on the computational methods of earlier Babylonian and Egyptian mathematics, and it may well have had Phoenician influences. Some of the most well-known figures in Greek mathematics are Pythagoras, a shadowy figure from the isle of Samos associated partly with number mysticism and numerology, but more commonly with his theorem, and Euclid, who is known for his Elements, a canon of geometry for centuries.
The most characteristic product of Greek mathematics may be the theory of conic sections, largely developed in the Hellenistic period. The methods used made no explicit use of algebra, nor trigonometry.
Greek mathematics also contributed importantly to ideas on number theory mathematical analysis, applied mathematics, and at times integral calculus.
We use many of their signs, such as Beta and Theta in math today.
When the whole of Western Europe came under the Roman Empire, the centres of mathematical intellect shifted towards the east - China, India and the Arabs. But the contribution of the Greeks to mathematics cannot be overlooked. They set down the basics of algebra, geometry and mensuration which form a large part of mathmatics even today.
Greek mathematics has origins that are presumed to go back to the 7th century BC, but are not easily documented. It is generally believed that it built on the computational methods of earlier Babylonian and Egyptian mathematics, and it may well have had Phoenician influences. Some of the most well-known figures in Greek mathematics are Pythagoras, a shadowy figure from the isle of Samos associated partly with number mysticism and numerology, but more commonly with his theorem, and Euclid, who is known for his Elements, a canon of geometry for centuries.
The most characteristic product of Greek mathematics may be the theory of conic sections, largely developed in the Hellenistic period. The methods used made no explicit use of algebra, nor trigonometry.
Greek mathematics also contributed importantly to ideas on number theory mathematical analysis, applied mathematics, and at times integral calculus.