Diophantus – Ancient Greece, 200-284
Little is known about Diophantus’ life, except that he, like so many before him, lived and worked in Alexandria. Born well after the Greek empire’s downfall, he was one of the last great Greek minds. Considered to be the “Father of Algebra,” Diophantus was one of the first people to use symbols in his math, to represent unknown numbers. His biggest contribution to mathematics was writing “Arithmetica,” a series of Algebraic texts. He also developed a specific type of equation, known today as Diophantine equations.
Question of the Week: How many books comprised Diophantus’ great work, “Arithmetica,” and how many of them survive today?