The Story of Maths (2008)

Genre

documentary film, documentary television program

Country

United Kingdom

Length

1 season, 4 episodes

Rated

TV-G

Rating

7.7 of 10 from 9 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A documentary series that traces the history of mathematics from ancient civilizations to modern times. A professor visits different parts of the world to explain how key mathematical ideas were developed and how they support science, technology and culture.

educationalthoughtfulintellectualmeasuredreflectiveorderlyexploratory

What happens

The Story of Maths is a four-part British television series outlining aspects of the history of mathematics. It was a co-production between the Open University and the BBC and aired in October 2008 on BBC Four. The material was written and presented by University of Oxford professor Marcus du Sautoy. The consultants were the Open University academics Robin Wilson, professor Jeremy Gray and June Barrow-Green. Kim Duke is credited as series producer. The series comprised four programmes respectively titled: The Language of the Universe; The Genius of the East; The Frontiers of Space; and To Infinity and Beyond. Du Sautoy documents the development of mathematics covering subjects such as the invention of zero and the unproven Riemann hypothesis, a 150-year-old problem for whose solution the Clay Mathematics Institute has offered a $1,000,000 prize. He escorts viewers through the subject's history and geography. He examines the development of key mathematical ideas and shows how mathematical ideas underpin the world's science, technology, and culture. He starts his journey in ancient Egypt and finishes it by looking at current mathematics. Between he travels through Babylon, Greece, India, China, and the medieval Middle East. He also looks at mathematics in Europe and then in America and takes the viewers inside the lives of many of the greatest mathematicians. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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