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Archimedes of Syracuse

This mathematician's great theorem was chosen by Dunham as the subject of a chapter on estimation of the area of a circle and the value of π. Using only the rudimentary arithmetic available at the time, he calculates π correctly to 2 decimal places by estimating it to be between 3 1/7 and 3 10/71.

Euclid

This mathematician's book becomes one of the most studied and widely-dispersed math texts ever, and it establishes him as the preeminent mathematician of his day.

HIppocrates of Chios

This individual is a Greek mathematician from the fifth century BC. Little is known about him directly, with most of his biographical information coming from later sources that cite his work.

Heron

This mathematician developed a method for determining the area of a triangle given only the length of the three sides.

Gerolamo Cardano

This individual was an eccentric and superstitious physician and mathematician living in Italy in...

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