Celebrating underappreciated heroes in the field
Euclid, Pythagoras and Newton are ubiquitous names in our public domain and rightfully so; however, in uplifting the same Euro-centric model of mathematics's history, we leave out equally talented contributors in the discipline. Here are some unsung mathematicians (and mathematical artifacts) IRIS is celebrating.
One of the earliest relics of mathematics originated in Africa. The Ishango Bone, discovered in 1950 in the Democratic Republic of Congo, is a Paleolithic tool with over 160 etchings. Many speculate that the bone—dated to be 20,000 years old—was integral in creating an understanding of prime numbers. The creators of the bone clustered markings in separate columns and groups. One column has groups with 11, 13, 17 and 19 lines, all prime numbers. Other scientists have hypothesized the antique was a tallying or lunar calendar system. Regardless of its interpretation or purpose, the bone affirms that humans established fairly intricate relationships with math earlier than previously imagined.
During the classical period, several South Asian mathematicians pushed the envelope in abstract theories, physics and astronomy. Born between the second and third centuries, Indian mathematician Pingala devised the binary system, the basis of computer encoding. Binary systems use numbers zero and one to express large integers. The number one represents two to a particular exponent—starting from two to the power zero (20)—depending on how many bits, or zeros and ones you have. For instance, if there are three bits, the maximum number you can express using the binary system is seven (111 —> 22+21+20). Pingala was also the first to describe the Fibonacci sequence and was a renowned poet who used math to analyze poetic rhythms. Aryabhata (476-550), another Indian mathematician who lived two centuries later than Pingala, was a pioneering physicist who described the relativity of motion. His only surviving publication, Aryabhatiya, discusses Earth's elliptical plane and celestial equator, the reasons behind our day and night and calculations to determine other planets' positions.
In more modern times, women emerged as revolutionaries in the field. A British mathematician, writer and daughter of prolific poet Lord Byron—Ada Lovelace (1815-1852) made strides in computer science a century before the device's invention. Considered the first computer programmer, Lovelace constructed an algorithm for an unfinished machine, the Analytical Engine. She also posited that the engine would accomplish an array of functions, including playing music and solving complex mathematical equations, like many computers do today. Evelyn Boyd Granville (1924-2023) broke institutional barriers by becoming the second black woman in American history to receive a Ph.D. in Mathematics. Excelling at her segregated high school, Granville matriculated to Smith College before earning her master's at Yale. Following graduation, Granville worked on space missions for The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as an International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) programmer.
Other underrepresented mathematicians include the British Alan Turing (1912-1954), who decrypted the Enigma code, a system Germans sent messages through during World War Two; Jose Ádem (1921-1997), a Mexican mathematician who made invaluable input into geometry topics, particularly topology; Maryam Mirzakhani (1977-2017), a prominent professor at Stanford University, and the first Iranian woman to qualify for the International Math Olympiad.
If you want to learn more, check out Mathigon's comprehensive timeline of mathematics.