Studying History of Math

The history of mathematical ideas is a topic which is totally neglected both in schools and in teacher-training institutions. This is very unfortunate.

Studying the history of mathematical idea has many advantages which could make it a subject, students can relate to and enjoy.

Let us see some of them.

Math is a cultural legacy of all cultures

The human mind is primed by evolution with capabilities for developing non-verbal math ideas. Language abilities helped humans develop sophisticated ideas and symbolic math. Hence, every culture developed or must have developed ideas in math, needed for its survival. So students would realise that math is a common heritage of human civilizations.

Sumerians developed a place value system based on sixty. Mayas developed ways of coding information using knots.

Ideas in Math were not invented overnight or by a flash of intuition

Students who get their math solely through their textbooks tend to wrongly think that these ideas were invented overnight and in their final form. They tend to think that math can be invented only by “super-intelligent” beings.

Studying history of math enables them to realise that ideas have taken thousands of years to reach their final form. This humanises the processes by which math ideas developed. Many ideas developed as very basic ideas which were built layer by layer into ideas that we read today.

Today, our children study the Decimal Place Value System in Grades 1 or 2. But as Laplace pointed out, it has taken thousands of years to develop fully through the efforts of many and that Greek mathematicians like Euclid and Archimedes could not think of it.

History also tells us that many ideas started as puzzles & very simple ideas. The puzzle of the Bridges of Konigsburg developing into Graph Theory is an example.

The Fifth Postulate of Euclid about parallel lines, frustrated mathematicians for 2000 years, before the difference between Plane and Spherical Geometries was understood.

This understanding of geometry was developed into the idea of axiomatization of any discipline.

Math is not free from cultural & political Biases

Math is developed by humans. Hence it is equally susceptible to pressures which all humans have.

Ours is a male-dominated society. Hence the contributions of women have not got the prominence they should have. There are schools of thought which believe that women are not as good in math as men are!

Math is a very Diverse Discipline

Studying the history of math ideas and mathematicians, helps us realise how diverse the discipline is and how rapidly it is still developing.

It helps us realise that in math, the only limitation is our ability to thinking. It is not limited by the reality in which we live. Every day new ideas propel math into totally new ideas.

Today the data processing capability of AI is driving it into areas where math was never expected to be relevant,

But for this to happen, some one has to write a simple book for teachers on anecdotes from the history of math.