The Advancement
of the Past Shaping the Future
A movie review on BBC The Story of Maths: The
Frontiers of Space
The
journey does not stop in the Middle East. In the third installment of the BBC
Story of Maths, Marcus du Sautoy explores Europe in its 17th century
society where the application of the basics began and was put together to form
new mathematical ideas that led to the world of numbers and logic we know and
use today.
A
number of great people continuously come up with new ideas for the development
of Math. Perspectives are graphical representation of images on a flat surface
as if it is actually seen by the eye. This was introduced by Pierro della
Francesca in his Flagellation of Christ.
Perspectives, since it is a graphical representation, make use of drawings and
shapes or what we call Geometry. Then, how should we know the characteristic of
shapes without knowing some vital properties such as their size? This is where
Algebra comes in the picture. Geometry and Algebra can be linked this way but shapes
are usually composed of straight lines to be able to cut corners and provide
angles. What if they are curved? An outstanding mathematician and physicist,
Rene Descartes, dawned on the realization that it is possible for curve lines
to be equations thus, bridging the gap between Geometry and Algebra. Throughout
the years, more and more theorems have been developed and are put to use today.
One example is how one of Pierre Fermat’s theorem help protect credit card
transactions in the internet. Another person we know so well with the concept
of gravity is Isaac Newton. Not many know about his development of Calculus
which is now used by engineers to understand the motion of objects better.
Leibniz developed a less complicated version of Newton’s Calculus which,
unfortunately, led him to be accused of plagiarism. It probably is the lowest
point in Leibniz’s life. The documentary also explores other great
mathematicians such as Leonard Euler, who is considered the father of topology
and Carl Friedrich Gauss, who made impact on the understanding of the
distribution of prime numbers as well as developing modular arithmetic. Gauss’
breakthrough in prime numbers provided the foundation for Bernhard Riemann’s
own theories on prime numbers. He focused on objects which he saw in different
properties and facets existing in space.
The
journey to know more of the development of mathematical concepts continues. I truly
appreciated the art and the chance to have a glimpse in the lives of the great
people who shaped up the world of logic. We live in a world where buildings
seem to have the right proportions, where structures are expertly designed and
teachings seem to be logical but, after this episode, it left me wondering if
there still exists a major unknown around us, if there’s some philosophical
thinker out there devising new ideas, or if it’s even considerably possible to
make changes in the status quo of the mathematical world.
There
may be times when ideas are presented complicatedly. Understanding or digesting
concepts may take time. Sometimes, we are not fit to understand it by
ourselves. We may not be as intellectually talented as the great people
mentioned above but we can certainly make changes and achievements in our own
ways and in fields we dream to excel at. Just like them, investing time and
committing with fervor is probably the best basic equation to reach and
discover the frontiers of space.
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