Exploring the History of Mathematics

What does math have to do with the behavior of the earth and sun? Learn how the movement of celestial bodies has influenced the development of trigonometry. Scholars connects the details in mathematics to their real-world meaning.

How did ancient peoples determine the height of really tall objects? Young scientists and mathematicians explore the concept of using shadows to measure height in a hands-on experiment. Paired pupils measure shadows, then calculate the...

What's a fair way to decide how many US Representatives each state gets in Congress? Learn how people mathematically conduct state apportionment and explore different methods our Founding Fathers had in mind.

This modern animation and discussion of the ancient secrets of Pascal's triangle manages to be topical, engaging, and mathematically deep all at the same time. A great introduction to the power of number theory across multiple math...

Is there a relationship between mathematics and history? In this video, Jean-Baptiste Michel explains how our technological advancements will afford many opportunities for mathematics to play an integral role in revealing key trends in...

What numbers should not be shared? Numbers thoughout history have been banned for one reason or another. The resource provides details of illegal numbers and compares them to the written and spoken word. Discussion brings the idea of...

How do they create those 3-D views on a 2-D surface? The video presents the history of the art of using anamorphic perspective. A review of perspective drawing provides background knowledge to the class. Pupils see different methods...

As people and civilizations have become more complex, numbers have evolved into what they are today. Watch a video that walks viewers through the history of the development of symbols into numbers and positional notations.

There is one bridge too many. A video presents the history of the Konigsberg Bridge problem. To solve the problem, Euler invented a new branch of mathematics—and graph theory was born. Using this new branch of mathematics, mathematicians...