Numbers

All ancient civilizations wrestled with the challenge of calculating the area of a circle by simply using a ruler and compass. However it took 5,000 years to finally come up with a solution. To solve this mathematical conundrum, mathematicians used geometry, quadratic equation, calculus and other math formulas.

The quest to figure out infinite numbers began with Zeno's paradoxes, which also had an impact on Greek views of the universe, and during the Middle Ages, it was forbidden to study infinite numbers due to a ban imposed on Christianity. But eventually, infinite numbers were revealed mathematically.

Equation began with solving real problems in everyday life, and gave remarkably accurate predictions for what may appear to be complex and complicated phenomenon. The solution to Quintic function eluded mathematicians for centuries until 20-year-old Evariste Galois proposed his theory. He wrote the final mathematical manuscript the night before he died at age 20 from wounds inflicted in a duel.

Zero is a number that was inconceivable to humankind and peculiar in many regards compared to the other numbers. Today, the existence of zero is common knowledge and most people find it hard to understand why it could be different or special. Zero is a key number in the Arabic numeral system that is prevalent all over the world today.

Stephen Hawking and Roger Penrose use this number when explaining the origins of the universe. An imaginary number became a target of criticism among numerous mathematicians and was widely ridiculed during the mid-20th century. But the advent of quantum mechanics gave imaginary numbers an elevated status. Are imaginary numbers a discovery by humans or simply a human creation?