Famous Mathematicians and their

contributions

Diophantus '(200-284 AD in
Alexandria, Egypt)

-A Hellenistic Alexandrian Greek

mathematician.
-Sometimes called the father of algebra.'
-Renowned for his series of books titled
Arithmetica, which had an enormous
influence on the development of number
theory.
- He proposed multiple questions and proofs that led to the development of
many important concepts, such as 'Fermat's Last Theorem, approximate
equalities, and decimals & fractions as coefficients in linear algebra.
-'First mathematician to ever use symbols to abbreviate mathematical
statements, where he used the greek sigma (Σ).

'Arithmetica (250 AD)

-Publications made up of 13 separate handwritten
works. Only 6 out of 7 survived.
- Is a study on algebraic equations and number
theory.
- He wrote it as a textbook to help his friend
Dionysius (and others) in solving math problems.
- It is a collection of 130 problems giving numerical
solutions of determinate equations (those with a
unique solution), and indeterminate equations
(polynomial equations in which the number of
 unknowns exceeds the number of equations
given).
-He ignored all non-real solutions to quadratic equations, negative
solutions, or irrational square roots. And he only considers positive rational
solutions.

Some of the problems addressed in Arithmetica are the following:

● Linear and Quadratic equations;
● Quadratics and Cubics;
● Equations in higher powers of x;
● Polynomial Equations;
● Linear Diophantine equations;
● Diophantine approximations &;
● Rules of negative multiplication;

SOME NOTABLE IMPORTANT FIGURES WHO REFERENCED ARITHMETICA:

● Hypatia
● Rafael Bombelli
● Pierre de Fermat
● Leonhard Euler

Diophantine Equation
- is a polynomial, with two or more variables and it can have variables with
any power.
- The equations that are found on Arithmetica are known as DIOPHANTINE
EQUATIONS and the method of solving them is called Diophantine
analysis.
And is conducted by following the steps:
● Is it possible to get a solution?
● Is it possible to find solutions just by inspection?
● Are the number of solutions finite or infinite?
● Is it possible to obtain all the solutions?
 - One of the few famous diophantine equations is the aⁿ + bⁿ = cⁿ, n>2 w/c
was the last subject of Fermat's last theorem.

‘ Hero of Alexandria (10-75 AD in

Alexandria, Egypt)

-Heron is a Greek mathematician, physicist,

engineer, geometer, and inventor.
-Discovered the square root of numbers.’
- Remembered for Heron's formula, a way to
calculate the area of a triangle using only the
lengths of its sides. When he gained popularity
he became known as the Hero of Alexandria.’
- He was the pioneer of geometrical terms and
symbols and he mastered a branch of
mathematics known as geodesy.’

A.BOOKS PUBLISHED
1. Metrica (Volume, Surface Area, Area of a triangle, Square roots, and
Cube roots)
- Series of three books.
- Discussed the calculation of volumes and surface areas of various
objects (pyramids, prisms, cones, and cylinders).
- ‘ Hero’s formula’ was found in this book that stated the area of a
triangle with given sides.
- The iterative method of calculating square roots was first detailed in
this book. Now we refer to it as the ‘Babylonian Method’ or the
‘Heron’s Method’. He also found a way to solve cube roots with
iteration.
- This book was lost for centuries ‘until rediscovered in 1896 in Istanbul
by R. Schone.
2. Stereometrica (Volumes I and II) ’
- These volumes provide examples of how to perform three-
dimensional geometry for spheres, pyramids, cubes, and other
solids.
3. Mensurae
- contains descriptions of various tools that can be used to make
measurements, as laid out in the Metrica and Stereometrica.
4. ‘Geometria et Almagestum Vtiqui Aliique OPuscula ’
- A basic introduction to geometry. ’
- First work to have come up with the famous ‘Heron’s formula. ‘
5. Definitiones
- A glossary of different geometric-related terms.
6. Geometrica
- A list of geometries.
- Served as a collection of different mathematical equations and
was also based on the first chapter of Metrica.
7. Mechanics and Optics
8. Geoponicus
9. Geodesia
10. Pneumatica
11. Automata
12. Baroulkos
13. Mechanica
B. INVENTIONS

1. Aeolipile/Heron's engine
- First-ever recorded steam-powered
engine.

2. Windwheel ‘
- Helped harness the wind for
agricultural and other purposes.
‘
- Considered the first machine to
ever harness wind energy. ‘

3. Vending Machine
- He had the idea of inserting a
coin into a machine for it to
perform a certain function.
- This worked for the purpose of
dispensing holy water. ‘
 - It worked when a coin was inserted via a slot that would fall on a
pan that was connected to a lever. The coin’s weight would allow
the pan to tilt and eventually eject a certain amount of holy water
until the coin would roll off the pan. The mechanics of the vending
machine allowed the water to dispense when the coin pressed the
lever by falling into a pan it was attached to. This way the weight of
the coin raised the lever that opened up the valve that let out some
amount of water. ‘
4. Ancient greek theater
- He invented the mechanism for Greek theater by mechanizing the
system of ropes, rotating cylinders that operated the machines that
produced a mechanical play that lasted for ten minutes.
- Different sounds were produced through mathematically
calculated mechanics.
5. Ancient syringe
- Hero contributed to the medicinal world by inventing a device
similar to a modern-day syringe which served the purpose of
delivery of liquid and air.
References:
https://kidskonnect.com/people/diophantus/
https://www.cuemath.com/learn/diophantus-alexandria/
https://www.cuemath.com/learn/famous-mathematicians/
https://mathshistory.st-andrews.ac.uk/Biographies/Diophantus/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r7TLzLmB8c
https://mathshistory.st-andrews.ac.uk/
https://www.storyofmathematics.com/hellenistic_diophantus.html
https://www.famousmathematicians.net/hero-of-alexandria/
https://famous-mathematicians.com/heron-of-alexandria/
https://kidskonnect.com/people/heron-of-alexandria/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diophantus
https://history-computer.com/heron-of-alexandria-hero-complete-biography/
https://explorable.com/heron-of-alexandria