Mathematics is a field that many people shy away from, but there are some who had a passion

for numbers and

making discoveries regarding equations, measurements, and other numerical solutions in history. They looked for ways
to understand the world as it relates to numbers and their contributions have been very important for their generation
and beyond. Below is a list of names and accomplishments of the greatest mathematicians of all time. You can read
through the list and learn more about these people and how they used their mathematical abilities to make their mark
on the world.

Albert Einstein (1879-1955) Isaac Newton (1642-1727)

Nationality: German, American Nationality: English
Famous For: E=m*c2 Famous For:Mathematical Principles of Natural
Albert Einstein excelled in mathematics early in his Philosophy
childhood. He liked to study math on his own. He was The book of Sir Isaac Newton, Mathematical Principles of
once quoted as saying, “I never failed in Natural Philosophy, became the catalyst to
mathematics…before I was fifteen I had mastered understanding mechanics. He is also the person credited
differential integral calculus.” for the development of the binomial theorem.

Leonardo Pisano Bigollo (1170-1250) Thales (c. 624 – c.547/546 BC)

Nationality: Italian Nationality: Greek
Famous For: Fibonacci sequence Famous For: Father of science & Thales’ theorem
Heralded as “the most talented western mathematician Thales used principles of mathematics, specifically
of the middle ages,” Leonardo Pisano Bigollo is better geometry, to solve everyday problems. He is considered
known as Fibonacci. He introduced the Arabic-Hindu as the “first true mathematician”. His deductive
number system to the western world. In his book, Liber reasoning principles are applied in geometry that is a
Abaci(Book of Calculation), he included a sequence of product of “Thales’ Theorem.”
numbers that are known today as “Fibonacci numbers.”

Pythagoras (c. 570 – c. 495 BC) René Descartes (1596-1650)

Nationality: Greek Nationality: French
Famous For: Pythagorean theorem Famous For: Cartesian coordinate system
Pythagoras is best known in mathematics for The “Cartesian coordinate system” in mathematics is
the Pythagorean Theorem. named after Rene Descartes. As a mathematician, he is
seen as the father of analytical geometry in addition to
explaining “infinitesimal calculus and analysis.”

Archimedes (c. 287 – c. 212 BC) John Forbes Nash, Jr. (1928)
Nationality: Greek Nationality: American
Famous For: Greatest mathematician of antiquity Famous For: Nash embedding theorem
Archimedes provided principles and methods used in The work of American mathematician John Nash includes
mathematics today. He provided the exact numerical studies in differential geometry, game theory, and partial
value of pi, developed a system for large numbers to be differential equations. He is best known for the Nash
expressed, and the method of exhaustion. embedding theorem. His work in algebraic geometry is
also seen as milestone in mathematics.
 Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) Euclid (c. 365 – c. 275 BC)
Nationality: French Nationality: Greek
Famous For: Pascal’s Triangle Famous For: Father of geometry
Pascal is recognized for two mathematical areas of The earliest known “math books” is one written by
study, projective geometry and probability theory. He Greek mathematician Euclid, Elements is its title. It serve
describes in his paper, Treatise on the Arithmetical as a textbook to teach geometry and mathematics. His
Triangle, an easy to understand table of “binomial mathematical system is known as “Euclidean geometry.”
coefficients” known as Pascal’s Triangle

Aryabhata (c. 476 – c. 550) Ptolemy (c. 90 – c. 168 AD)

Nationality: Indian Nationality: Greco-Roman
Famous For: Writing Āryabhaṭīya and the Arya-siddhanta Famous For: Almagest
Indian mathematician Aryabhatta’s contribution include Ptolemy was a mathematician of the highest order. In his
his work on providing an approximate value to pi. He book Almagest, or The Mathematical Compilation,
likewise touched on the concepts of sine, cosine, and the Ptolemy provides mathematical theories related to the
place-value system. solar system.

Ada Lovelace (1815-1852) Alan Turing (1912-1954)

Nationality: English Nationality: British
Famous For: Work on the Analytical Engine Famous For: Father of computer science
English mathematician Ada Lovelace is recognized as the Turing’s fame as a mathematician can be attributed to
worlds first computer programmer. Her mathematical his formulating of algorithms and computations for a
skills were evident at an early age. As part of her work, computer, the Turing Machine. His mathematical
she produced a mathematical algorithm that would be background helped device techniques in code breaking,
later used in computers. specifically in world war 2. In 1948 Turing became
interested in mathematical biology.

Srinivasa Ramanujan (1887-1920) Benjamin Banneker (1731-1806)

Nationality: Indian Nationality: African American
Famous For: Landau-Ramanujan constant Famous For: Calculating a solar eclipse
Ramanujan was a genius in mathematics. He helped Benjamin Banneker was a self-taught mathematician. He
expand mathematical theory, particularly in continued used his mathematical skills to predict an eclipse and the
fractions, infinite series, mathematical analysis, and seventeen-year cycle of locusts.
number theory. He conducted mathematical research in
seclusion.

Omar Khayyám (1048-1131) Eratosthenes (276 – 194 BC)

Nationality: Persian Nationality: Greek
Famous For: Treatise on Demonstration of Problems of Famous For: Sieve of Eratosthenes
 Algebra Eratosthenes provided the concept of a simple algorithm
Omar Khayyam wrote one of the most important books as a way to locate prime numbers. The Sieve of
in mathematics, Treatise on Demonstration of Problems of Eratosthenes that has been used to find prime numbers.
Algebra from which most algebraic principles have been
drawn from. In the area of geometry, Khayyam worked
on the “theory of proportions.”

John von Neumann (1903-1957) Pierre de Fermat (1601-1665)

Nationality: Hungarian Nationality: French
Famous For: Operator theory and quantum mechanics Famous For: Fermat’s Last Theorem
The mathematical evaluation of self-replication by John As an amateur mathematician, de Fermat is given
von Neumann came before the DNA model was recognition for his work that has led to infinitesimal
introduced. Other mathematical subjects he tackled calculus. He applied the use of “adequality” in explaining
include the “mathematical formulation of quantum his mathematical constructs. De Fermat’s also
mechanics”, “game theory,” mathematical statistics and contributed to the math fields of analytic geometry,
mathematical economics. His contribution to the study differential calculus, and number theory.
of the “operator theory” is equally important.

John Napier (1550-1617) Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646-

Nationality: Scottish 1716)
Famous For: Inventing “logarithms” Nationality: German
John Napier is responsible for manufacturing logarithms. Famous For: Infinitesimal calculus
It was also he who applied the everyday use of the The work of Leibniz on infinitesimal calculus was one
decimal point in mathematics and arithmetic. Napier’s completely separate from Isaac Newton. His
bones was an abacus created by John. The device was mathematical notation continues to be in use. He also
used mainly for multiplication problems. proposed the mathematical principle known as
the Transcendental Law of Homogeneity. His refining of
the binary system has become foundational in
mathematics.

Andrew Wiles (1953) David Hilbert (1862-1943)

Nationality: Proving “Fermat’s Last Theorem” Nationality: German
Famous For: British Famous For: Hilbert’s basis theorem
Andrew Wiles was successful in proving “Fermat’s Last In cumulative algebra, the use of “Hilbert’s basis theory”
Theorem”. He also used the “Iwasawa theory” to has produced varying results. David Hilbert explored and
identify elliptic curves using its complex multiplication improved on ideas such as “axiomatization of geometry”
system. Wiles, with a colleague, worked on rational and the “invariant theory.” Functional analysis, a branch
numbers under the “Iwasawa theory”. of mathematical analysis, is based on the formulation of
“Hilbert’s spaces theory.”

Daniel Bernoulli (1700-1782) Luca Pacioli (1445-1517)

Nationality: Swiss Nationality: Italian
Famous For: Bernoulli principle Famous For: Father of accounting
Hydrodynamica by Daniel Bernoulli was a book that Fifteenth century friar and mathematician Luca Pacioli
developed an accounting or bookkeeping methods that
 touched on mathematical principles applied in other are still in use today. Because of this, Pacioli is viewed by
sciences. many as the “father of accounting.”

Georg Cantor (1845-1918) George Boole (1815-1864)

Nationality: German Nationality: English
Famous For: Inventor of set theory Famous For: Boolean algebra
One of the basic theories in mathematics is the set George Boole and his ideas on mathematics were in the
theory, thanks to the work of Georg Cantor. He helped field of algebraic logic and differential equations. He is
define the importance of the “one-to-one the source of what is known as “Boolean logic” in
correspondence” principle as well as introduce cardinal algebra. This and other mathematical concepts are part
and ordinal numbers. of his bookThe Laws of Thought.

Évariste Galois (1811-1832) Sophie Germain (1776-1831)

Nationality: French Nationality: French
Famous For: Theory of Equations Famous For: Sophie Germain prime numbers
Galois worked on abstract algebra and the theory of Sophie Germain worked extensively in the mathematical
equations. He also set forth a solution to the polynomial field of number theory and differential geometry. She
equation which is know as the “Galois theory.” helped lay possible solutions to “Ferrats Last Theorem.”
Sophie’s work with number theory earned her
recognition and having numbers named after her,
“Sophie Germain prime.”

Emmy Noether (1882-1935) Edward Witten (1951)

Nationality: German Nationality: American
Famous For: Abstract algebra Famous For: String theory
Emmy Noether and her work on abstract algebra makes Edward Witten specialized in the field of mathematical
her one of the most important mathematicians of her physics. He brought together math concepts and basic
time. She introduced theories on algebraic variants and physics.
number fields. In Noether’s paper, Theory of Ideals in Ring
Domains, she presented her ideas on the “commutative
ring”, an abstract algebra sub area.