History of Mathematics Teacher Resources

A comprehensive discussion of Greek number systems of the first millennium BC, including acrophonic and alphabetical. Includes examples demonstrating the lack of a truly unified system among the Greek islands.

Students will use technology to research and explore mathematicians.

Looks at the life of Aristotle (384-322 B.C.E.) and the far-reaching scope of his intellectual ideas. The article examines in depth his theories in the disciplines of philosophy, politics, mathematics and science, and his legacy.

This is a virtual exhibition of inventions from ancient Greece that have been reconstructed by Kostas Kotsanas after over two decades of study and research. Click on 'The Museum' link at the top of the page to read an explanation and to...

Did you learn to calculate using a 7-foot-long slide rule? Did you learn about the properties of numbers using brightly colored Cuisenaire rods? Ever wonder who invented the graph paper you used in geometry class? Go back to the...

Video explaining the history of algebra including different individuals considered to be the "father" of algebra and the origin of the name algebra. [7:17]

Contains detailed historical information regarding the Fundamental Theorem of Algebra and the various proofs that were developed. Click on the links at the bottom of the page to access all the information.

Discusses what numbers are and how our understanding of them has evolved over thousands of years, from simple counting to negative numbers and irrational numbers, for example. Includes a set of practice questions where students identify...

This University of St. Andrews page offers a good biography on Luca Valerio, an Italian mathematician and teacher of rhetoric.

In this math resource from the Real Sociedad Matematica Espanola, you can read the biographies of famous Spanish mathematicians.

Have you ever come across an oddly stretched image on the sidewalk, only to find that it looks remarkably realistic if you stand in exactly the right spot? These sidewalk illusions employ a technique called anamorphosis- a special case...

Describes the little that is known of Zeno of Elea's life. Also discusses his denial of motion and plurality hypothesis. He explained his ideas using paradoxes that continue to challenge intellectual minds today, and that have had a big...

Events of Rene Descartes' life are presented in a timeline form. The biographical information is taken from "A Short Account of the History of Mathematics" by W. W. Rouse Ball (4th Edition, 1908).

A biographical note on St. Bede (672-735), the monk, scholar, and author who wrote about history, rhetoric, mathematics, music, astronomy, poetry, grammar, philosophy, hagiography, homiletics, and Bible commentary.

A counterpart problem in measurement would be to find the length of the diagonal of a square whose side is one unit long; there is no subdivision of the unit length that will divide evenly into the length of the diagonal. It thus became...

Explore a brief history of mathematics in Mesopotamia through the Babylonian Base 60 number system. This video focuses on how a base 60 system does not use fractions or repeating decimals, some of the advantages of a base 60 system, and...

This Ferman University site allows you to search for quotes by famous mathematicians. A site for peeking the interest of students and incorporating math history into the classroom. Also a good resource for math research projects.

Discusses the major cultural influences on the development of mathematics in ancient Greece, and how the Greeks went on to surpass those cultures. The work of the Pythagoreans and of Euclid are described, along with some famous...

Wikipedia gives a timeline of all of the important mathematical accomplishments from 2400 BC to 2002. Most names and concepts are linked to further information specific to that person or idea.

The University of St. Andrews allows you to link to many famous mathematicians and mathematical events from Babylonian mathematics in 2000 B.C. to mathematical discoveries in the 20th Century.

Information and examples of how the base 60 number system of the Babylonians worked in calculating problems similar to those we face today. Has a section comparing Pythagoras's theorem to Babylonian math.

The University of St. Andrews offers a fascinating look at the advances made by Arabic/Islamic mathematicians from about 780 AD to 1450 AD, only more recently being appreciated for their beauty and originality. Includes embedded links to...

A brief description of the earliest Greek numberical notation, the Attic system, followed by a more detailed description of the alphabetical system that replaced it.

This site explains the mathematical system of the Mayans. It gives the represenation they used for numbers and how they did addition and subtraction.