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Instrument
The History of Mathematical Instruments
A new series on mathematical instruments begins with their history: how everyday tools became visual teaching aids and entered mathematics education.
Essay
Mathematical Child Prodigies
Childhood discoveries and early talents of Pascal, Gauss, Kolmogorov and Wiener, alongside other celebrated prodigies, show different paths into creative work.
Problem
Martin Gardner's Matrix Trick
Choose five numbers from a seemingly random grid and their sum is always 57. Try Martin Gardner's mathematical magic trick and discover how it works.
Essay
Ars Magna: The Great Art
Girolamo Cardano's Ars Magna was a major step toward modern algebra, but the story of its cubic formula remains controversial.
Essay
Mathematics' Great Bonesetter
François Viète's symbolic algebra transformed mathematics, while his career unfolded amid religious wars, royal service and codebreaking.
Essay
As Long as There Is Something to Measure
The history of measures reflects everyday work, trade, conquest and language, from body-based lengths to weights, money and the metric system.
Essay
The High Priest of the Queen of Sciences
In May 1727, a twenty-year-old Swiss scholar newly arrived from Basel walked along Nevsky Prospekt in St Petersburg. His name was Leonhard Euler.
Essay
How I Came to Mathematics
People often ask how I came to mathematics. Everything I achieved was made possible by my schoolteacher and, perhaps, perseverance.
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