Mathematicians

Leonardo Fibonacci

Jul 9, 1170

Leonardo Fibonacci, or simply just Fibonacci, was an Italian mathematician who lived during the Middle Ages (1170 - 1250). He is most famous for spreading the Arabic number system in Europe. In addition, the Fibonacci number sequence is named for him. Surprisingly, he did not discover the sequence but wrote about it in one of his many books.

Leonardo da Vinci

Apr 15, 1452

Leonardo da Vinci was born in Italy in 1452 and died in 1519. He was a famous mathematician, painter, inventor and engineer. Mostly, he used math in his paintings. Da Vinci's knowledge of geometry enabled him to create masterpieces like the Mona Lisa.

Nicolaus Copernicus

Feb 19, 1473

Copernicus lived in Poland from 1473 to 1543. He studied astronomy, mathematics, politics and medicine. His knowledge of math enabled him to develop his most famous concept, heliocentrism. This is the theory that the Sun is at the center of our Solar System.

Rene Descartes

Mar 31, 1596

Descartes lived from 1596 to 1650. He was a famous French philosopher, mathematician and writer. In math, he provided a basis for Calculus and developed Catesian geometry.

Sir Isaac Newton

Jan 4, 1643

Sir Isaac Newton lived from 1643 to 1727. He was an English scientist, astronomer and mathematician, among others. His work contributed toward our knowledge of calculus, polynomials, logarithms and a new way to calculate pi.

Jacob Bernoulli

Dec 27, 1654

Jacob Bernoulli lived in Europe from 1654-1705. He was a part of the famous Bernoulli family and studied theology and mathematics. He made major breakthroughs in calculus and founded a school for math and science. The famous Bernoulli trials and Bernoulli numbers are named for him.

Joseph Fourier

Mar 21, 1768

Joseph Fourier lived in France from 1768 to 1830. He was a mathematician, physicist and historian. Fourier is named for the famous Fourier Series and its application to heat flow.