Oscar De La Huerte answered
The title 'father of mathematics' is not one to be banded about lightly.
The field of mathematics has known some phenomenally intelligent men, so deciding which one truly merits the title 'father of mathematics' is subject to some debate.
The father of mathematics is...
The name Archimedes is often used in conjunction with the phrase father of mathematics (there's even a book title that says so).
In my opinion, the title can only really go to two men:
Pythagoras of Samos:
Pythagoras was a Greek mathematician who was born sometime around 570 BC.
Based on the fact that he was is regarded by many as 'the first great mathematician' and a big influence on the work of people like Aristotle, it would be fair to say that Pythagoras should be considered the father of maths.
His theories (including the trigonometrical cornerstone that is the Pythagorean Theory) mean that he is one of the most recognizably influential mathematicians in human history.
Although Pythagoras was by no means the first mathematician (the Baudhayana of India are documented beat him to it by about 300 years) he is certainly the first 'big name' in the field.
Leonhard Euler:
Although he may not be as well known as Aristotle or Isaac Newton, I'd suggest that Leonhard Euler
is the most brilliant and noteworthy mathematician the world has ever known.
On this basis, I believe he is the true father of modern mathematics.
He is often described as 'the man who discovered every mathematical formula before the person they are named after'.
Euler lived between 1707-1783 and was responsible for developing mathematical notation and the concept of 'function'.
He was also responsible for developing breakthrough theories in the following fields (amongst many others):
The field of mathematics has known some phenomenally intelligent men, so deciding which one truly merits the title 'father of mathematics' is subject to some debate.
The father of mathematics is...
The name Archimedes is often used in conjunction with the phrase father of mathematics (there's even a book title that says so).
In my opinion, the title can only really go to two men:
Pythagoras of Samos:
Pythagoras was a Greek mathematician who was born sometime around 570 BC.
Based on the fact that he was is regarded by many as 'the first great mathematician' and a big influence on the work of people like Aristotle, it would be fair to say that Pythagoras should be considered the father of maths.
His theories (including the trigonometrical cornerstone that is the Pythagorean Theory) mean that he is one of the most recognizably influential mathematicians in human history.
Although Pythagoras was by no means the first mathematician (the Baudhayana of India are documented beat him to it by about 300 years) he is certainly the first 'big name' in the field.
Leonhard Euler:
Although he may not be as well known as Aristotle or Isaac Newton, I'd suggest that Leonhard Euler
is the most brilliant and noteworthy mathematician the world has ever known.
On this basis, I believe he is the true father of modern mathematics.
He is often described as 'the man who discovered every mathematical formula before the person they are named after'.
Euler lived between 1707-1783 and was responsible for developing mathematical notation and the concept of 'function'.
He was also responsible for developing breakthrough theories in the following fields (amongst many others):
- Calculus
- Topology
- Number Theory
- Graph Theory
