Abstract:
Archimedes is undoubtedly the greatest mathematician of antiquity, but
his writings were difficult and so survive in very few copies, some in
unique copies. The most fascinating of these contains his wonderful work
that we call "the Method." This manuscript was created in the tenth
century, palimpsested in the twelfth, discovered and published in the
early twentieth, and sold at auction in 1998. Currently it is undergoing
restoration and extensive scholarly study at the Walters Art Museum in
Baltimore. Scholars have great hope for what the manuscript will reveal.
All of this makes for a fascinating story.
Carl Friedrich Gauss: Classic Hard Figurer
Abstract:
Gauss made important contributions to astronomy, celestial mechanics,
surveying, geodesy, geomagnetism, electromagnetism, mechanics, optics,
the design of scientific instruments, and actuarial science. And yes, he
was also a mathematician, making significant advances in number theory,
algebra, geometry, analysis and probability. It is hard to believe one
person could do all this and it is certainly too much to describe
carefully in one hour so we shall concentrate on some of his
mathematical work and try to see how you the student can benefit from
the study of the biography of Gauss.
Dr. William Dunham
Much Ado About Everything: The Mathematics of Leonhard Euler
Abstract:
Without question, Leonhard Euler (1707-1783) ranks among the greatest mathematicians of all time. His insight, ingenuity, and influence are unsurpassed in the long history of the subject.
In this talk, we provide a biographical sketch and then touch upon Euler's contributions to such branches of mathematics as number theory, calculus, geometry, and complex variables. In so doing, we hope to give a sense of a mathematician whom Laplace described as "the Master of us All."
