History of Math and Technology
A blog covering the history of STEM and how we got to where we are.
Cryptography in World War II: The Secret War Behind the Front Lines When we think of World War II, images of tanks, planes, and soldiers often come to mind. Yet behind the battles on land, sea, and air, there was another war being waged in silence—one fought with ciphers, codes, and machines. This was the …
Cryptography—the science of encoding and protecting information—has shaped human civilization for over two thousand years. From the simple substitution ciphers of the Romans to the complex algorithms powering today’s digital security, cryptography reflects humanity’s dual desire for secrecy and communication. At its heart lies mathematics, the universal language that makes encryption possible. The story of …
The History of the Indian Decimal System The Indian decimal system is one of the most significant advancements in mathematics, fundamentally changing how numbers are represented and calculated. Originating in ancient India, this numeral system laid the groundwork for modern mathematics and has influenced various scientific fields. In this blog post, we will explore the …
Zeno’s paradoxes are a fascinating collection of philosophical thought experiments that have challenged mathematicians, philosophers, and scientists for centuries. Attributed to Zeno of Elea, a Greek philosopher who lived in the 5th century BCE, these paradoxes were intended to defend the ideas of his teacher, Parmenides, who argued that reality is unchanging and that change …
The Moscow Mathematical Papyrus, also known as the Golenischev Mathematical Papyrus, is one of the most significant artifacts from ancient Egypt, offering insights into the mathematical knowledge and practices of one of the world’s oldest civilizations. Dating back to around 1850 BCE during the Middle Kingdom period, this papyrus predates many mathematical documents and is …
The History of the Golden Ratio and Its Impact on Mathematics and Science The Golden Ratio, often represented by the Greek letter \(ϕ\) or \(τ\), is one of the most captivating and enigmatic mathematical concepts in history. Defined as a special number approximately equal to 1.6180339887, the Golden Ratio has fascinated mathematicians, artists, architects, and …
The History of the Sieve of Eratosthenes The Sieve of Eratosthenes is one of the most ancient and ingenious algorithms in the history of mathematics. Developed by the Greek mathematician Eratosthenes of Cyrene (circa 276–194 BCE), it remains a fundamental algorithm for generating prime numbers and has had a significant influence on various fields of …
The History of Irrational Numbers in Mathematics Irrational numbers are one of the most profound and fascinating discoveries in the history of mathematics. These are numbers that cannot be expressed as a ratio of two integers, and their decimal expansions neither terminate nor repeat. Examples include \(π\), \(e\), and \(\sqrt{2}\). Despite their seeming complexity, irrational …
The Fibonacci Sequence: Math in Nature The Fibonacci sequence is one of the most iconic and widely studied concepts in mathematics. It represents a series of numbers in which each term is the sum of the two preceding terms, beginning with 0 and 1. Written as $$0,1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21,…$$, the sequence unfolds in a pattern that has …
Pascal’s Triangle is one of the most recognizable patterns in mathematics, featuring a triangular arrangement of numbers with significant properties and applications. Although it is named after Blaise Pascal, the famous French mathematician and philosopher who studied and formalized its structure in the 17th century, the concept behind Pascal’s Triangle dates back to ancient civilizations. …