Famous Mathematicians

Pythagoras

Pythagoras of Samos was a well-known mathematician, scientist and a religious teacher. He was born in Samos and is often hailed as the first great mathematician. Pythagoras is remembered today for his famous theorem in geometry, the 'Pythagoras Theorem'. His mentors were Thales, Pherekydes and Anaximander, who inspired him to pursue mathematics and astronomy. Pythagoras also made important discoveries in music, astronomy and medicine. He accepted priesthood and performed the rites that were required in order to enter one of the temples in Egypt, known as Diospolis. He set up a brotherhood with some of his followers, who practiced his way of life and pursued his religious ideologies. He became one of the most distinguished teachers of religion in ancient Greece.

John Napier

David Hume's personification of the title "a great man" more than aptly describes the prominence and distinction of John Napier. A distinguished Scottish mathematician and theological writer, John Napier is famously credited as the man who originated the concept of logarithm. With his innovative discoveries and research, Napier created a storm in the field of mathematical calculations. While his concept of logarithms gained most limelight, Napier's other contributions in the field of spherical trigonometry, the invention of the divining rods and pressing forward the use of decimal fraction are second to none. It was due to his ground-breaking inventions that Napier earned the respect of some of the most illustrious astronomers and scientists of the age. 

Karl Weierstrass

Karl Theodor Wilhelm Weierstrass, who is known as the Father of modern analysis, was a great German mathematician. With is mathematical researches and amazing talents, Weierstrass bagged wide recognition all over the world. His contributions in the field of Albelian functions are considered to be the finest among his achievements. Weierstrass is regarded as one among the first mathematicians to take up a systematic approach towards the representation of the function by a power series. He was a very influential person and an excellent teacher that he has inspired many young minds. Weierstrass, along with Augustin Cauchy, stated the modern analysis theory, which was a great achievement in his career. He also gave the first detailed definitions of the fundamental concepts such as differentiability, limit, continuity and convergence. The publication of a paper providing the solution of inversion of hyper elliptic integrals in the year 1854 was considered to be the break through work in his career.