Ancient Mathematicians

What made the ancient Greeks' hearts beat faster and their pulses race? In a word, mathematics. See how they overcame a clunky, awkward number system to become the most respected minds in mathematics in the world. These mathematical wizards include Pythagoras: more a miracle worker than a mathematician, some claimed he was the son of a god. But did he even invent the theorem named for him? And what secret was so great that his followers would kill to keep quiet? Euclid: The man who wrote the Elements shaped the way we approach math. Archimedes: one mathematician held off an army for three years. How did he do it, and could he trap the elusive [pi]? And Hypatia, the woman whose math and philosophy skills were so threatening to the Catholic church that she was brutally murdered.

Children's Literature

From the series "Profiles in Mathematics," here are the lives of noteworthy Greek mathematicians of the Classical and Hellenistic periods. The reader is warned that the biographies are often sketchy, extrapolated, and of questionable validity. This is because the stories and actual contributions of these philosopher-mathematicians were often passed down through an oral tradition or written and then copied. For example, nothing that Pythagoras wrote has survived. Nevertheless, his name is synonymous with "mathematician" and the theorem named after him. It is likely that the man was merely a promoter of the theorem that Babylonian and Egyptian mathematicians knew about centuries before. Euclid's mathematical genius is documented in his written works, with the Elements considered the foundation of geometry today. Yet, little is known of Euclid's life. Archimedes' contemporaries called him the "Master," and indeed he is still recognized for his intellectual foundation of calculus and discoveries in applied physics. However, the story about him running from his bath shouting "Eureka" is mostly apocryphal. Hypatia, the first female mathematician-philosopher of note, provides a tale of martyrdom. She was viciously murdered by a Christian mob because of her popular teachings. These stories can inspire young adult readers. Explanations of mathematics in Ancient Greece, however, require that readers be very serious math students. Some sections are dense and rely on diagrams or examples for clarity. A glossary would be helpful, and a biography of the author would be nice. Still, illustrations, timelines, insets, references, and index are good complements. Reviewer: Carol Raker Collins,Ph.D.