From 700 BCE to CE 1300, thousands of scholars from many different civilizations introduced mathematical ideas that established the foundations of arithmetic, number theory, algebra, geometry, and trigonometry, as well as the related sciences of astronomy and physics. Although we know very little about specific individuals who made important mathematical discoveries in Babylonia, Egypt, and China, historians in Greece, India, Arabia, and medieval Italy preserved a more complete record, including the identities of some of the innovators. The Birth of Mathematics profiles 10 individuals from...

The five centuries from CE 1300 to 1800 marked the end of a rich period of cultural, mathematical, and scientific advancements in China, India, and Arabic countries, while witnessing new intellectual life in Europe and the Western Hemisphere. The Age of Genius acquaints students with 10 intriguing but perhaps lesser-known mathematical pioneers of this time. Included here, for example, is a portrait of 14th-century Iranian mathematician al-Kashi, who developed and improved methods for approximating numerical values, and introduced geometrical methods for determining areas and volumes of...

The Foundations of Mathematics presents the lives and accomplishments of 10 mathematicians who lived between CE 1800 and 1900 and contributed to one or more of the four major initiatives that characterized the rapid growth of mathematics during the 19th century: the introduction of rigor, the investigation of the structure of mathematical systems, the development of new branches of mathematics, and the spread of mathematical activity throughout Europe.

Modern Mathematics: 1900 to 1950 provides an eye-opening introduction to five historic 20th-century decades by analyzing the advancement of the field through the accomplishments of 10 significant mathematicians. From David Hilbert and Emmy Noether, who introduced the infinite dimensional vector spaces and algebraic rings that bear their names, to Norbert Wiener, the founder of cybernetics, this in-depth volume is an excellent choice for libraries.

Here are profiles of innovators from the second half of the 20th century who made significant discoveries in both pure and applied mathematics. From John H. Conway, who helped complete the classification of all finite groups (and invented "The Game of Life" board game), to Fan Chung, who developed an encoding and decoding algorithm for cell phone calls, this lively survey of contemporary minds behind the math is ideal for middle and high school students seeking resources for research or general interest.