This week G7 students discovered some amazing facts about our founders of mathematics. We are finding that history mixes nicely with mathematics and science. We learned about mathematicians like Archimedes (born 287 BCE), who designed a large screw that could be used to move water from a lower to a higher elevation, forming the first mechanical pump. And we all know how screws are used in a multitude of ways today!
We also learned about Thales (born 624 BCE), a philosopher, mathematician, and astronomer who was famous for the Thales Theorem of mathematics (see below). He was famous for using geometry to find the heights of pyramids and the distance of ships from the shore.
We also learned about Newton (born 1693 AD), synonymous with apples and gravity. We learned how he used prisms to refract a single beam of light into a rainbow of colors.
Looking forward to learning about several more of our math founding mothers and fathers! Please visit www.famous-mathematicians.org to learn more about the founders of mathematics!
“Pure mathematics is, in its way, the poetry of logical ideas.”—Albert Einstein