MATHEMATICIAN OF THE WEEK

Archimedes of Syracuse

Week 1: 5/21/25

Archimedes, (born c. 290–280 bc, Syracuse, Sicily—died 212/211 bc, Syracuse), was a legendary Greek inventor and mathematician. His principal discoveries were the Archimedes screw, an ingenious device for raising water, and the hydrostatic principle, or Archimedes’ principle. His main interests were optics, mechanics, pure mathematics, and astronomy.

Archimedes’ mathematical proofs show both boldly original thought and a rigor meeting the highest standards of contemporary geometry.

His approximation of π was not improved on until after the Middle Ages, and translations of his works were important influences on 9th-century Arab and 16th- and 17th-century European mathematicians.

In his native city, Syracuse, he was known as a genius at devising siege and countersiege weapons. He was killed by a Roman soldier during the storming of the city. He begged the soldier to let him finish his proof before being killed, but the solider did not oblige.

Learn more here: https://www.britannica.com/summary/Archimedes

The Coolest Numbers in Mathematics!!!

Math can be surprisingly interesting! From infinite numbers like Pi to patterns in nature like the Fibonacci sequence, here are some cool facts and ideas:

The Infinite Nature of Pi

Pi is a famous irrational number, meaning its decimal representation goes on forever without repeating. This endless nature makes it a fascinating subject of study.

The Fibonacci Sequence

A sequence where each number is the sum of the two preceding ones, like 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8...) appears in many natural phenomena, such as the spiral patterns of sunflowers and shells, or in the markings of zebras and butterflies.

Prime Numbers and Cicadas

Prime numbers have a fascinating connection to the life cycles of some cicadas. Some cicadas have lifespans that are prime numbers, which helps them avoid predation by predators with shorter life cycles.

Zero and the Magic of Mathematics

Zero is a surprisingly powerful number. It's considered even, it's the identity element for addition, and it plays a crucial role in various mathematical concepts.

Euler's Number "e"

Euler's number, approximately 2.71828, is another fundamental constant in mathematics. It's related to exponential growth and decay and appears in many equations.

The Golden Ratio

The golden ratio, approximately 1.618, is another intriguing number found in nature and art. It's often used to describe aesthetically pleasing proportions.

The Birthday Paradox

In a group of just 23 people, there's a surprisingly high chance (over 50%) that two people share the same birthday.

Kaprekar's Constant 6174

The number 6174 is a special number that, when used with specific operations, always results in 6174.

The Rule of 9

There's a neat trick in math that helps you check if a number is divisible by 9 without actually dividing it.

Did you know?

Author Lewis Carroll

Lewis Carroll was an English novelist and poet. He is best known as the author of the children's book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass (1871)—two of the most popular works of fiction in the English language.

Brilliant Mathematician Lewis Carroll

Lewis Carroll and Math/Logic/Games/Puzzles

While he is known today primarily as an author, Lewis Carroll, or rather Charles Dodgson, was also a brilliant scholar. He taught math and logic to undergraduates at Christ Church, Oxford, for many years, at the same time he was creating fanciful stories to entertain children. He carved a unique place for himself in his field when he combined his two areas of expertise, writing entertaining scenarios for challenging math and logic problems, or turning the concepts into games, to make the learning easier, more enjoyable, and more lasting. He is well knowns especially for his creative and challenging syllogisms, or logic puzzles.

Read more at The Lewis Carroll Society of North America here:

https://www.lewiscarroll.org/carroll/study/math/