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Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

Nationality: German, American


Famous For: E=m*c2
Albert Einstein excelled in mathematics early in his childhood.
He liked to study math on his own. He was once quoted as
saying, I never failed in mathematicsbefore I was fifteen I
had mastered differential integral calculus.

Isaac Newton (1642-1727)


Nationality: English
Famous For:Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy
The book of Sir Isaac Newton,Mathematical Principles of
Natural Philosophy, became the catalyst to understanding
mechanics. He is also the person credited for the
development of the binomial theorem.

Leonardo Pisano Bigollo (1170-1250)

Thales (c. 624 c.547/546 BC)

Nationality: Italian

Nationality: Greek

Famous For: Fibonacci sequence

Famous For: Father of science & Thales theorem

Heralded as the most talented western mathematician of

Thales used principles of mathematics, specifically geometry,

the middle ages, Leonardo Pisano Bigollo is better known as

to solve everyday problems. He is considered as the first

Fibonacci. He introduced the Arabic-Hindu number system to

true mathematician. His deductive reasoning principles are

the western world. In his book, Liber Abaci(Book of

applied in geometry that is a product of Thales Theorem.

Calculation), he included a sequence of numbers that are


known today as Fibonacci numbers.

Pythagoras (c. 570 c. 495 BC)

Ren Descartes (1596-1650)

Nationality: Greek

Nationality: French

Famous For: Pythagorean theorem

Famous For: Cartesian coordinate system

Pythagoras is best known in mathematics for the Pythagorean

The Cartesian coordinate system in mathematics is named

Theorem.

after Rene Descartes. As a mathematician, he is seen as the


father of analytical geometry in addition to explaining
infinitesimal calculus and analysis.

Archimedes (c. 287 c. 212 BC)

John Forbes Nash, Jr. (1928)

Nationality: Greek

Nationality: American

Famous For: Greatest mathematician of antiquity

Famous For: Nash embedding theorem

Archimedes provided principles and methods used in

The work of American mathematician John Nash includes

mathematics today. He provided the exact numerical value

studies in differential geometry, game theory, and partial

of pi, developed a system for large numbers to be expressed,

differential equations. He is best known for the Nash

and the method of exhaustion.

embedding theorem. His work in algebraic geometry is also


seen as milestone in mathematics.

Blaise Pascal (1623-1662)

Euclid (c. 365 c. 275 BC)

Nationality: French

Nationality: Greek

Famous For: Pascals Triangle

Famous For: Father of geometry

Pascal is recognized for two mathematical areas of study,

The earliest known math books is one written by Greek

projective geometry and probability theory. He describes in

mathematician Euclid, Elements is its title. It serve as a

his paper,Treatise on the Arithmetical Triangle, an easy to

textbook to teach geometry and mathematics. His

understand table of binomial coefficients known as Pascals

mathematical system is known as Euclidean geometry.

Triangle

Aryabhata (c. 476 c. 550)

Ptolemy (c. 90 c. 168 AD)

Nationality: Indian

Nationality: Greco-Roman

Famous For: Writing ryabhaya and the Arya-siddhanta

Famous For: Almagest

Indian mathematician Aryabhattas contribution include his

Ptolemy was a mathematician of the highest order. In his

work on providing an approximate value to pi. He likewise

book Almagest, or The Mathematical Compilation, Ptolemy

touched on the concepts of sine, cosine, and the place-value

provides mathematical theories related to the solar system.

system.

Ada Lovelace (1815-1852)

Alan Turing (1912-1954)

Nationality: English

Nationality: British

Famous For: Work on the Analytical Engine

Famous For: Father of computer science

English mathematician Ada Lovelace is recognized as the

Turings fame as a mathematician can be attributed to his

worlds first computer programmer. Her mathematical skills

formulating of algorithms and computations for a computer,

were evident at an early age. As part of her work, she

the Turing Machine. His mathematical background helped

produced a mathematical algorithm that would be later used

device techniques in code breaking, specifically in world war

in computers.

2. In 1948 Turing became interested in mathematical biology.

Srinivasa Ramanujan (1887-1920)

Benjamin Banneker (1731-1806)

Nationality: Indian

Nationality: African American

Famous For: Landau-Ramanujan constant

Famous For: Calculating a solar eclipse

Ramanujan was a genius in mathematics. He helped expand

Benjamin Banneker was a self-taught mathematician. He used

mathematical theory, particularly in continued fractions,

his mathematical skills to predict an eclipse and the

infinite series, mathematical analysis, and number theory. He

seventeen-year cycle of locusts.

conducted mathematical research in seclusion.

Omar Khayym (1048-1131)

Eratosthenes (276 194 BC)

Nationality: Persian

Nationality: Greek

Famous For: Treatise on Demonstration of Problems of Algebra

Famous For: Sieve of Eratosthenes

Omar Khayyam wrote one of the most important books in

Eratosthenes provided the concept of a simple algorithm as a

mathematics, Treatise on Demonstration of Problems of

way to locate prime numbers. The Sieve of Eratosthenes that

Algebra from which most algebraic principles have been

has been used to find prime numbers.

drawn from. In the area of geometry, Khayyam worked on


the theory of proportions.

John von Neumann (1903-1957)

Pierre de Fermat (1601-1665)

Nationality: Hungarian

Nationality: French

Famous For: Operator theory and quantum mechanics

Famous For: Fermats Last Theorem

The mathematical evaluation of self-replication by John von

As an amateur mathematician, de Fermat is given recognition

Neumann came before the DNA model was introduced. Other

for his work that has led to infinitesimal calculus. He applied

mathematical subjects he tackled include the mathematical

the use of adequality in explaining his mathematical

formulation of quantum mechanics, game theory,

constructs. De Fermats also contributed to the math fields of

mathematical statistics and mathematical economics. His

analytic geometry, differential calculus, and number theory.

contribution to the study of the operator theory is equally


important.

John Napier (1550-1617)

Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646-1716)

Nationality: Scottish

Nationality: German

Famous For: Inventing logarithms

Famous For: Infinitesimal calculus

John Napier is responsible for manufacturing logarithms. It

The work of Leibniz on infinitesimal calculus was one

was also he who applied the everyday use of the decimal

completely separate from Isaac Newton. His mathematical

point in mathematics and arithmetic. Napiers bones was an

notation continues to be in use. He also proposed the

abacus created by John. The device was used mainly for

mathematical principle known as the Transcendental Law of

multiplication problems.

Homogeneity. His refining of the binary system has become


foundational in mathematics.

Andrew Wiles (1953)

David Hilbert (1862-1943)

Nationality: Proving Fermats Last Theorem

Nationality: German

Famous For: British

Famous For: Hilberts basis theorem

Andrew Wiles was successful in proving Fermats Last

In cumulative algebra, the use of Hilberts basis theory has

Theorem. He also used the Iwasawa theory to identify

produced varying results. David Hilbert explored and

elliptic curves using its complex multiplication system. Wiles,

improved on ideas such as axiomatization of geometry and

with a colleague, worked on rational numbers under the

the invariant theory. Functional analysis, a branch of

Iwasawa theory.

mathematical analysis, is based on the formulation of


Hilberts spaces theory.

Daniel Bernoulli (1700-1782)

Luca Pacioli (1445-1517)

Nationality: Swiss

Nationality: Italian

Famous For: Bernoulli principle

Famous For: Father of accounting

Hydrodynamica by Daniel Bernoulli was a book that touched

Fifteenth century friar and mathematician Luca Pacioli

on mathematical principles applied in other sciences.

developed an accounting or bookkeeping methods that are


still in use today. Because of this, Pacioli is viewed by many as
the father of accounting.

Georg Cantor (1845-1918)

George Boole (1815-1864)

Nationality: German

Nationality: English

Famous For: Inventor of set theory

Famous For: Boolean algebra

One of the basic theories in mathematics is the set theory,

George Boole and his ideas on mathematics were in the field

thanks to the work of Georg Cantor. He helped define the

of algebraic logic and differential equations. He is the source

importance of the one-to-one correspondence principle as

of what is known as Boolean logic in algebra. This and

well as introduce cardinal and ordinal numbers.

other mathematical concepts are part of his bookThe Laws of


Thought.

variste Galois (1811-1832)

Sophie Germain (1776-1831)

Nationality: French

Nationality: French

Famous For: Theory of Equations

Famous For: Sophie Germain prime numbers

Galois worked on abstract algebra and the theory of

Sophie Germain worked extensively in the mathematical field

equations. He also set forth a solution to the polynomial

of number theory and differential geometry. She helped lay

equation which is know as the Galois theory.

possible solutions to Ferrats Last Theorem. Sophies work


with number theory earned her recognition and having
numbers named after her, Sophie Germain prime.

Emmy Noether (1882-1935)

Edward Witten (1951)

Nationality: German

Nationality: American

Famous For: Abstract algebra

Famous For: String theory

Emmy Noether and her work on abstract algebra makes her

Edward Witten specialized in the field of mathematical

one of the most important mathematicians of her time. She

physics. He brought together math concepts and basic

introduced theories on algebraic variants and number fields.

physics.

In Noethers paper, Theory of Ideals in Ring Domains, she


presented her ideas on the commutative ring, an abstract
algebra sub area.

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