Activity
Other

4000 Years of Women in Science

For Students 9th - 10th
A site that celebrates the place of women in scientific research since history began.
Handout
University of Virginia

University of Virginia: How the Greeks Used Geometry to Understand the Stars

For Students 9th - 10th
An article explaining how the Greeks were able to use their science and mathematics to predict where astronomical objects such as the Planets could be found in the nighttime sky even though their underlying premise was that the earth did...
Website
Internet History Sourcebooks Project

Fordham University: Modern History Sourcebook: Isaac Newton

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from Fordham University links to excerpts of Newton's major works. Please scroll down to find the section on Newton titled "The Creation of Classical Physics." You will be able to actually read some of Newton's work! Read...
Handout
Free Math Help

Free Math Help: Origins of Math

For Students 9th - 10th
The lesson examines the origins of mathematics. Strings of symbols, the mathematicians of Ancient Greece, Arabian scholars, and the Renaissance are discussed.
Handout
University at Buffalo

A Modern History of Blacks in Mathematics

For Students 9th - 10th
Biographies of Blacks in mathematics from the 1700s to the present time.
Handout
Trinity College Dublin

Trinity College: Pierre De Fermat (1601 1665)

For Students 9th - 10th
The events of the life of Pierre de Fermat 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).
Article
Trinity College Dublin

Trinity College: Pierre Simon Laplace (1749 1827)

For Students 9th - 10th
The events of the life of Pierre Laplace 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).
Unit Plan
TED Talks

Ted: Ted Ed: Where Do Math Symbols Come From?

For Students 9th - 10th
John David Walters shares the origins of mathematical symbols and illuminates why they're still so important in the field today.
Unit Plan
TED Talks

Ted: Ted Ed: The Mathematics of Sidewalk Illusions

For Students 9th - 10th
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...
Article
University of St. Andrews (UK)

University of St. Andrews: Eratosthenes of Cyrene

For Students 9th - 10th
Gives details of the accomplishments of Eratosthenes in the field of mathematics.
Handout
University of St. Andrews (UK)

University of St. Andrews: Willebrord Snell

For Students 9th - 10th
A fairly short biographical sketch of Willebrord Snell (1591-1626 CE). Discusses his upbringing, education and professional life.
Handout
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

The Math Forum: Ask Dr. Math: History of Numbers

For Students 9th - 10th
Dr. Math tackles the question of man's first use of numbers by relating the work of Denise Schmandt-Bessarat and her studies of "'tokens' found all over the Middle East.
Article
University of St. Andrews (UK)

University of St. Andrews: Aristarchus of Samos

For Students 9th - 10th
This site gives an extensive discussion of Aristarchus' accomplishments in determining the size of the sun and moon and in proposing a sun-centered universe.
Handout
Other

Jeff Miller: Earliest Uses of Symbols for Variables

For Students 9th - 10th
This personal site explains how variables began and who were the first to use them.
Handout
Ministerio de Educacion, Cultura y Deporte (Spain)

La Historia De Matematicas a Traves De Los Siglos

For Students 9th - 10th
In Spanish. Offers brief mathematical histories beginning with Egypt and Babylon up through the 19th century.
Handout
Other

Divulga Mat: Biografias De Matematicos Espanoles Ilustre

For Students 9th - 10th
In this math resource from the Real Sociedad Matematica Espanola, you can read the biographies of famous Spanish mathematicians.
Handout
Tour Egypt

Tour Egypt: The Ancient Egyptian Number System

For Students 9th - 10th
This Tour Egypt site presents an easy-to-read account of ancient Egypt mathematics. Content explores the history and development of mathematics, how it was used, what helpful documents we have found that give us insight into what the...
Article
University of St. Andrews (UK)

University of St. Andrews: Aryabhata the Elder

For Students 9th - 10th
Biographical information on Aryabhata (476-550 CE), a renowned Indian mathematician who wrote about astronomy, algebra, plane trigonometry, and much more. Includes links to related resources.
Handout
World History Encyclopedia

World History Encyclopedia: Archimedes

For Students 9th - 10th
Illustrated entry provides an account of the life of Archimedes, a pioneer in the fields of mathematics and engineering.
Website
Other

U of North Dakota: Fundamental Theorem of Algebra

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
A historical overview of the Fundamental Theorem of Algebra. Links to historic mathematicians and the development of this theorem.
Activity
University of Cambridge

University of Cambridge: Maths and Sports: Olympic Starters

For Students K - 1st
How do you compare to these results from Olympic Games in the past if you try similar running and jumping activities? This activity uses the history of the Olympic Games to introduce ideas about measuring time and distances in standard...
Article
Other

U of Cambridge: Tycho Brahe and the Separation of Astronomy From Astrology

For Students 9th - 10th
The subject of the paper is the shift from an astrology-oriented astronomy towards an allegedly more objective, mathematically grounded approach to astronomy. This shift is illustrated through a close reading of Tycho Brahe's scientific...
Handout
University of St. Andrews (UK)

University of St. Andrews: Nicolaus(ii) Bernoulli

For Students 9th - 10th
This site, which is provided for by the University of St. Andrews, gives a brief biography of Nicolaus Bernoulli.
Activity
Trinity College Dublin

Trinity College: Development of Analysis on the Continent

For Students 9th - 10th
This page of brief biographies taken from "A Short Account of the History of Mathematics," includes a paragraph on the life and work of Gabriel Cramer of "Cramer's Rule," fame.

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