A brief history of negative numbers throughout the ages
This is the second article in a two part series on the history of Algebra from about 2000 BCE to about 1000 CE.
Find out about Magic Squares in this article written for students. Why are they magic?!
The second of three articles on the History of Trigonometry.
Can you make a hypothesis to explain these ancient numbers?
This article -useful for teachers and learners - gives a short
account of the history of negative numbers.
This article gives a brief history of the development of Geometry.
The Four Colour Conjecture was first stated just over 150 years ago, and finally proved conclusively in 1976. It is an outstanding example of how old ideas can be combined with new discoveries. prove. . . .
The first of three articles on the History of Trigonometry. This takes us from the Egyptians to early work on trigonometry in China.
The third of three articles on the History of Trigonometry.
Can you decode the mysterious markings on this ancient bone tool?
Simon Singh describes PKC, its origins, and why the science of code making and breaking is such a secret occupation.
This short article gives an outline of the origins of Morse code and its inventor and how the frequency of letters is reflected in the code they were given.
When you think of spies and secret agents, you probably wouldn’t think of mathematics. Some of the most famous code breakers in history have been mathematicians.
If you think that mathematical proof is really clearcut and
universal then you should read this article.
This article for pupils gives some examples of how circles have featured in people's lives for centuries.
Can you explain how Galley Division works?
Some explanations of basic terms and some phenomena discovered by
In the time before the mathematical idea of randomness was discovered, people thought that everything that happened was part of the will of supernatural beings. So have things changed?
An article which gives an account of some properties of magic squares.
This is the first of a two part series of articles on the history
of Algebra from about 2000 BCE to about 1000 CE.
What was it like to learn maths at school in the Victorian period?
We visited the British Schools Museum in Hitchin to find out.
Noticing the regular movement of the Sun and the stars has led to a desire to measure time. This article for teachers and learners looks at the history of man's need to measure things.
The second in a series of articles on visualising and modelling shapes in the history of astronomy.
This article explores ths history of theories about the shape of our planet. It is the first in a series of articles looking at the significance of geometric shapes in the history of astronomy.