• 2008
  • 1h

Episode list

The Story of Maths
The Frontiers of Space
Sun, Oct 19, 2008
  • S1.E3
  • The Frontiers of Space
By the 17th century, Europe had taken over from the Middle East as the world's powerhouse of mathematical ideas. Great strides had been made in understanding the geometry of objects fixed in time and space. The race was now on to discover the mathematics to describe objects in motion. Marcus explores the work of Rene Descartes and Pierre Fermat, whose famous Last Theorem would puzzle mathematicians for more than 350 years. He also examines Isaac Newton's development of the calculus, and goes in search of Leonard Euler, the father of topology or 'bendy geometry', and Carl Friedrich Gauss who, at the age of 24, was responsible for inventing a new way of handling equations - modular arithmetic.
8.2 /10
To Infinity and Beyond
Sun, Oct 26, 2008
  • S1.E4
  • To Infinity and Beyond
After showing how fundamental mathematics is to our lives, Marcus du Sautoy explores the mathematics of ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia and Greece. In Egypt, he uncovers use of a decimal system based on ten fingers of the hand, while in former Mesopotamia he discovers that the way we tell the time today is based on the Babylonian Base 60 number system. In Greece, he looks at the contributions of some of the giants of mathematics including Plato, Euclid, Archimedes and Pythagoras, who is credited with beginning the transformation of mathematics from a tool for counting into the analytical subject we know today.
7.9 /10
The Genius of the East
Sun, Oct 12, 2008
  • S1.E2
  • The Genius of the East
In India Marcus du Sautoy discovers how the symbol for the number zero was invented and in the Middle East he looks at the invention of the new language of algebra and the spread of Eastern knowledge to the West.
7.9 /10
The Language of the Universe

S1.E1 ∙ The Language of the Universe

Sun, Oct 05, 2008
This program traces the development of mathematics in the Medeteranean region beginning with the Egyptians through the formalized geometry of the Greeks. Along the way a few remarkable methods emerged that predated formal mathematical methods by a thousand years.
7.6 /10
The Genius of the East

S1.E2 ∙ The Genius of the East

Sun, Oct 12, 2008
In India Marcus du Sautoy discovers how the symbol for the number zero was invented and in the Middle East he looks at the invention of the new language of algebra and the spread of Eastern knowledge to the West.
7.9 /10
The Frontiers of Space

S1.E3 ∙ The Frontiers of Space

Sun, Oct 19, 2008
By the 17th century, Europe had taken over from the Middle East as the world's powerhouse of mathematical ideas. Great strides had been made in understanding the geometry of objects fixed in time and space. The race was now on to discover the mathematics to describe objects in motion. Marcus explores the work of Rene Descartes and Pierre Fermat, whose famous Last Theorem would puzzle mathematicians for more than 350 years. He also examines Isaac Newton's development of the calculus, and goes in search of Leonard Euler, the father of topology or 'bendy geometry', and Carl Friedrich Gauss who, at the age of 24, was responsible for inventing a new way of handling equations - modular arithmetic.
8.2 /10
To Infinity and Beyond

S1.E4 ∙ To Infinity and Beyond

Sun, Oct 26, 2008
After showing how fundamental mathematics is to our lives, Marcus du Sautoy explores the mathematics of ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia and Greece. In Egypt, he uncovers use of a decimal system based on ten fingers of the hand, while in former Mesopotamia he discovers that the way we tell the time today is based on the Babylonian Base 60 number system. In Greece, he looks at the contributions of some of the giants of mathematics including Plato, Euclid, Archimedes and Pythagoras, who is credited with beginning the transformation of mathematics from a tool for counting into the analytical subject we know today.
7.9 /10
Editorial lists
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Universal Acclaim

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Edit Focus

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