Multifaceted Mathematicians
Sepulcre, J. M. "Multifaceted Mathematicians," Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
Multifaceted Mathematicians
Juan M. Sepulcre 0
Recommended Citation
0 University of Alicante
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Cover Page Footnote
The author's research was partially supported by Generalitat Valenciana under project GV/2015/035.
Department of Mathematics, University of Alicante, Alicante, SPAIN
Synopsis
This report attempts to provide an overview of some of the mathematicians who
have combined their mathematical knowledge with other academic and
nonacademic specialities. The various examples given, many of them included in
the well-known MacTutor History of Mathematics archive, corroborate the fact
that although the idea of the typical polymath has receded with the passage of
time, until the end of the Renaissance, most well-known mathematicians were
also well-versed in a number of di erent sciences such as philosophy, astronomy,
and physics. We also highlight other, less common combinations of knowledge,
in famous mathematicians who were experts in other disciplines or activities of
a totally disparate nature.
Throughout history, mathematics has been used in activities concerned with
the immediate environment and material reality of its practitioners. In fact,
we can say that this science is basically an exploration of the various complex
structures of the universe. Exact sciences constitute the basis for any kind
of scienti c and technological development and many disciplines make use of
mathematical models to resolve their problems. Furthermore, mathematics
has been used as an instrument in the creation of artistic or architectural
elements of great beauty and also in the eld of entertainment.
It is important to recall that specialising in di erent scienti c elds was not
the purpose of the original medieval universities; these were characterised by
universal studies. In fact, the separation of arts and sciences did not come
about until the 19th century. However, the learning sequence in the original
medieval studies partially aligns with its current counterpart; around the 5th
century subjects began to be classi ed as trivium (grammar, rhetoric, and
dialectics) and quadrivium (arithmetic, astronomy, geometry, and music).
Therefore, it is hardly surprising that since antiquity the most erudite and
learned scholars were familiar with several branches of knowledge and that, in
addition to being known as mathematicians, they were also considered to be
philosophers, astronomers, physicists, etc. Here we provide a brief historical
report of some of the most famous mathematicians of the past who were also
celebrated for their expertise in other disciplines.
A Historical Overview
Ancient Greece is, perhaps together with the 19th century, the most
revolutionary period of the history of mathematics. Numerous important Greek
mathematicians and philosophers contributed signi cantly to the
development of this branch of knowledge (see Figure 1). Despite the advances in
mathematics in previous eras (the Babylonian and Egyptian periods) until
the Greeks, mathematics was seen mainly as a practical science: measuring,
constructing, counting . . . . However, the Greeks were concerned with re
ecting on the nature of mathematical objects, and with making mathematics a
rational and structured science with demonstrable properties (see [
3
]).
The Middle Ages were essentially marked by the erudition of the Arabs and
Persians (see Figure 2) who brought new knowledge, developing and
expanding the legacy left by the Greeks [
3
]. Little by little, during the Early Middle
Ages, knowledge and discovery from the Islamic world reached Christian
Europe. Moreover, the Classical Period (400-1200) is known as the golden age
of Indian mathematics with brilliant results in many areas. One of the
major contributions of Indian mathematics was the invention of the zero and
the decimal system based on position which reached Europe from India via
Arab mathematicians. Chinese mathematicians also made important
contributions, a fact often disregarded by many as most Western resources on
modern mathematics tend to aggrandize the legacy of the Greeks to the
detriment of Indian and Chinese contributions. Unfortunately this report
also su ers from the same predicament; most of our references are
traditionally Western-centric.
In the 14th century, a demand for more precise methods emerged in the
West with the search for new materials, development of new technologies,
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