WSD Geometry/Algebra Famous Mathematicians

Summary

A brief list of famous mathematicians that could easily be used for reference and/or extra credit projects for students

Materials

The Students will need access to reference materials

Background for Teachers

As teachers, most of us are aware of "who did what and when" in regards to math. Our students often benefit from knowing historical background in Algebra and Geometry - it makes math more "real". This is just an abridged list of some of the key figures in mathematical history.

Student Prior Knowledge

none

Intended Learning Outcomes

The student will independently research various mathematicians and explain his/her contributions to our present day world of mathematics.

Instructional Procedures

The following is a list of famous mathematicians that could be available to students in case they need a research project, an extra-credit opportunity, or if they just ask great questions.

Thales, Pythagoras, Archimedes, Hypatia, John Napier, Galileo Galilei, Blaise Pascal, Isaac Newton, Leonhard Euler, Joseph Louis LaGrange, Sophie Germain, Carl Friedrich Gauss, Evariste Galois, Emmy Noether, Srinivasa Ramanujan, Euclid, Omar Khayyam, Leonard of Pisa (Fibonacci), Girolamo Cardano, Rene Descartes, Pierre de Fermat, Maria Agnesi, Benjamin Banneker, Charles Babbage, Mary Somerville, Neils Abel, Ada Lovelace, Soyna Kovalevsky, Albert Einstein, Gorge Polya, Emilie du Chatelet, Charlotte Scott, Grace Young, Anna Wheeler, Grace Hopper, Julia Robinson, Evelyn Granville, Karen Uhlenbeck, Ptolemy, Niccolo Tartaglia, Francois Viete, Simon Stevin, Johannes Kepler, Bonaventura Cavalieri, John Wallis, James Gregory, Gottfried Leibniz, Marquis de L'Hospital, Jacob & Johann Bernoulli, Zeno of Elea, Apollonius, Heron of ALexandria, Erastothenes, Diophantus of Alexandria, Brahmagupta, and Copernicus

1) With this list of names, your students will have ample options to choose from for mathematics research.

2) Caution must be excersized to prevent "Cut & Paste" plagarized research.

Assessment Plan

A simple 1 or 2 page research article might be worth the same number of points as a homework assignment or 3 test question - depending on your overall grading policy.