The father of mathematics is thought to be Thales of Miletus, who lived from c. 624 to c. 546 BC. He lent his name to the field because he is often considered the first true mathematician and perhaps the first scientist, because he was the first known individual to study abstract mathematical principles and not just put them into practice. Mathematics has been around for a long time before Thales but it was after him that it took off; he’s the one credited with making mathematics popular and accessible in ancient Greece.
He’s also credited with being the first known individual to study abstract mathematical principles and not just put them into practice, which is why people think of him as the “father of mathematics”. However, although many attribute that title to him it isn’t actually accurate since there were earlier mathematicians who developed similar ideas while Thales wasn’t even the first person known to have used geometry as a method or tool for problem solving. The earliest documentation of geometry dates back some 5,000 years ago in ancient Egypt where they used geometry extensively in building temples and other structures so it would make sense that they had some understanding of geometry before Thales was born but they didn’t have anything close to what we think of as math or even anything that resembles arithmetic at this point.
The Egyptians also developed algebra if you count writing down equations by using symbols like x=3+2=5 as algebra rather
Thales’s Contributions to Mathematics
Thales’s contributions to mathematics were fundamental and included a new way of thinking about numbers that is still used today. He taught how the use of logic can help solve math problems and he was the first person in the world to use geometry as a tool for problem solving, which helped him come up with ways to advance his understanding of trigonometry.
In addition, Thales was also known for his predictions that predicted eclipses, which gave him a reputation for being able to predict what will happen in the future. This is because he believed that celestial events have some kind of influence on natural phenomena here on Earth which is why he made these predictions. He also has some credit for developing a system called the “cathetus” around 605 BC, which allowed him to calculate right triangles using only congruent sides and hypotenuses.
Thales was not mathematician but he did make contributions to the field so it is accurate to say that he’s considered one of the fathers of mathematics even though there were other mathematicians before him who made similar contributions so we don’t think of him as being their “father”.
Pythagoras and the development of mathematics
Pythagoras is another individual who’s thought of as the father of math. He was born in around 570 BC and his name is actually a Greek word meaning “the best one” which was given to him because he was the best mathematician among that time period.
He also came up with the Pythagorean theorem, which states that: “In a right-angled triangle, the square of the hypotenuse (the side opposite the right angle) equals the sum of the squares of the other two sides.”
The first known use of that theorem dates back to about 500 BC and it wasn’t invented by him but rather by Babylonian astronomer and mathematician, Hipparchus, who also discovered trigonometry (i.e., calculating lengths and areas using triangles). Pythagoras is thought to be a bit younger than Hipparchus so it might be more accurate to say that he was working on similar ideas while Hipparchus was studying them or even earlier
There isn’t any clear consensus on who should get credit for inventing mathematics but they both contributed significantly to its development and we know that they were working on similar things at roughly the same time so it seems safe to say they have some significant contributions if not equal contributions when considering just how long mathematics has been around for now.
Archimedes and the development of mathematics
Archimedes of Syracuse is the other individual credited with being the father of mathematics and he was a Greek mathematician, engineer, inventor, and physicist known for his works in mechanics, hydrostatics, optics, and astronomy. The date of his death is unknown but it has been estimated that he lived from 287 BC to 212 BC.
However, despite this accolade it isn’t accurate because there were earlier mathematicians who developed similar ideas before Archimedes was born and Thales wasn’t even the first person known to have used geometry as a method or tool for problem solving. The earliest documentation of geometry dates back some 5,000 years ago in ancient Egypt where they used geometry extensively in building temples and other structures so it would make sense that they had some understanding of geometry before Archimedes was born but they didn’t have anything close to what we think of as math or even anything that resembles arithmetic at this point.
Some historians argue that Thales is more accurately considered the father since he is thought to be the one who made mathematics popular and accessible in ancient Greece by writing about mathematical principles rather than just practicing them like Archimedes did.
Euclid and geometry and algebra
The father of geometry is thought to be Euclid who lived from c. 325 BC to c. 265 BC and he is credited with developing the five postulates of plane geometry, which are referred to as axioms in mathematics, that is they are considered self-evident truths that you can’t prove mathematically but you’re still going to use them because they make a lot of sense and they’re just really convenient for mathematical work. Euclid’s work was important in the development of mathematics because it established a basis for further research into geometry and arithmetic which can be used today so if you want to do any math at all, you need Euclid’s work.
As for algebra, it’s a system for writing down equations using symbols like x=3+2=5 rather than words or numbers (like 3+2=5) and it dates back around 2,000 years before Thales was born so it’s possible that Thales didn’t even know about this type of math or even see it being used since he lived in ancient Greece when people were still using words and numbers instead of symbols like x=3+2=5. So while Thales might have been the first person known to use geometry systematically as a method or tool for problem solving he wasn’t the first one known to use these types of symbols as we consider them now so I don’t think he would qualify as “the father” of formal mathematics.
Greek Contributions to Algebra
The first documented use of algebra in history is from the Egyptians to Thales and his contributions to algebra are as follows:
Thales is credited with being the first known individual to study abstract mathematical principles and not just put them into practice.
Thales is also credited with being the first known individual to study abstract mathematical principles and not just put them into practice, which is why people think of him as the “father of mathematics”. But other mathematicians had already developed similar ideas before him, so he wasn’t actually the first person known to have used geometry as a method or tool for problem-solving.
Thales didn’t actually have something close to what we think of as math or even anything that resembles arithmetic at this point.
Arabic-Latin Contribution to Algebra
The Arabic-Latin contribution to algebra began around the 10th century AD. They used a square of paper with six lines and six dots on it to represent numbers up to the value of 6. The symbols for plus, minus, times, divide, and times were added to allow them to use arithmetic operations like addition and multiplication. These symbols were known as the Roman numerals.
After they developed these symbols they began using them with an unknown number as a placeholder which allowed them to simplify equations in order to solve them. This was done by writing an unknown quantity between two squares that represented numbers until they got back down to a single digit; then they could write down the answer in decimal form. This is one of the first instances where we see someone developing actual notation for an equation rather than just having the equation written out word for word (though this was probably happening before).
They took this idea further by simplifying their notation even more when they got down to three digits so they could still write out what the final answer should be without having any unknown quantities or digits at all; then they would just have a 0 or 1 next to it so people knew what kind of operation it was performing (an example being x=5).
Greek Contribution to Calculus
Calculus is the mathematical study of function change. It’s a branch of mathematics that deals with limits, derivatives, integrals and extrema, which are all concepts Thales would have been familiar with. Thales also made use of geometric methods in his understanding of the properties of triangles and circles. He used these methods to solve problems involving right-triangles including an attempt to calculate the height of pyramids without using an estimation approach.
Thales is credited with being the first individual known to have studied abstract mathematical principles and not just put them into practice
Conclusion
The father of mathematics is not exactly known. In fact, there is not a single person who holds the title. The father of mathematics is more of a title given to various people in history who contributed to the development of mathematics as a whole. The father of mathematics is referred to as the father of geometry, algebra, trigonometry, calculus, and much more.