Top 10 Greatest Mathematicians of All Time
This a list of the greatest mathematicians who have ever walked on this world. This is based on my knowledge... please help and enrich this list adding more names of the great mathematicians.
Leonhard Euler was a Swiss mathematician and physicist who made pioneering contributions to several areas of mathematics, including calculus, number theory, and topology. Born in 1707, he wrote more than 800 papers during his lifetime and is known for introducing much of the mathematical notation used today. Euler's work in mechanics, fluid dynamics, optics, and astronomy also had a lasting impact. He continued to work prolifically even after losing his eyesight later in life. He is not only a prolific writer in Mathematics but also there is a beauty in the theorems, concepts made by him. Very interesting mathematician.
Why is there even discussion about this.
Just look at his scope in quality and quantity.
Nobody comes close.
His influence is everywhere in mathematics. No one contributed more than him to mathematics to be what it is not.
This is the only man who was able the calculate problems in his head, problems that baffled Sir Isaac Newton.
Srinivasa Ramanujan was an Indian mathematician known for his extraordinary contributions to mathematical analysis, number theory, infinite series, and continued fractions. Born in 1887 in Erode, India, he was largely self-taught and produced a wealth of original theorems and ideas. Although he had almost no formal training in pure mathematics, Ramanujan's work has continued to inspire mathematicians. He died at the young age of 32, but his legacy in the realm of mathematics endures. He developed mathematical functions including what is now known as mock modular forms based on what one would call his "visions" just by thought and without proof in most cases. None of his work has been repudiated to this date, albeit there have been corrections and improvements and mathematicians who came after him have been able to proof most of Ramanujan's work. His mathematical model that points to the existence of black holes, a full 100 years before there was any concept of black holes (let alone a fully developed theory) show's his brilliance as a mathematician. His influence has also been rightly noted in development of string theory.
Unparalleled originality and creativity of all the mathematicians. An autodidact and comes from humble beginnings. 3,900 theorems. Dedicated his life for math. If he lived longer he would surpassed Euler and Gauss. He was astounding. Just to give a perspective of his abilities. If you spent a dime in one city, he will be able tell you where that dime would end up in 2 years. Now to make it complicated, if you spent 2 identical dimes and asked him 10 years later and that there 1000+ cities, his calculations would predict if those dimes are together or not and if not where. He dealt with infinities and large numbers that normal brains can't even comprehend.
So he should be the first on the list. Not Newton, not Euler, not Gauss and definitely not Archimedes. I also see several articles about greatest mathematicians of all times and he was never even listed in that while I see Alan Turing on that. I admire Alan Turings work but its in no even close to being comparable to ...more
Very fortunate for the world of mathematics that this self taught genius was born but equally unfortunate that he passed away at the young age of only 32. A devout Hindu he bewildered the mathematicians of his day, decades ahead of his time in the field of mathematics. Modern day great physicists like Michiel Kaku are still mesmerised by this past genius and continue to use his work in their field of physics. Never has such a mind in mathematics been born, hard to believe such a mind can even exists, come back again brother in another form. Love.
With severe limitations, ranging from poverty, lack of exposures to his contemporaries, an era of western ascendency and crippling health problems, he saw mathematics beyond what any human could see. We can only wonder what would he achieved if he was properly groomed and motivated like the rest of the mathematical geniuses on the list. Even to this day proving his theorems is like a quest to the holy grail.
Carl Friedrich Gauss was a German mathematician born in 1777, renowned for his contributions to number theory, statistics, algebra, and many other fields. Often referred to as the "Prince of Mathematicians," Gauss was a child prodigy who went on to make groundbreaking discoveries in a variety of mathematical disciplines. His work in astronomy and physics was also influential. His theorem in number theory, known as the Gaussian law, among many other discoveries, has a lasting legacy. I am astounded by his theory and how he came up with an answer to adding up all the numbers between 1 and 100 within two minutes. Genius!
Gauss took the baton from Euler and worked on hard problems. Not as prolific as Euler because he preferred more rigorous proofs. I think he was that much more influential. Mathematics is a subject that becomes more difficult as we progress. Who knows who would have been the best had everybody started with similar state of knowledge. Euler, Gauss, Gauss, Euler, or von Neuman. I'm going for Gauss, maybe I just like number theory.
Even though I like Leonard Euler very much, due to the beautiful theorems invented by him, I feel Gauss would stand as greatest mathematician of all times, if we consider the rigour of his mathematical analysis and his ability.
Sir Carl Friedrich Gauss who is majestic by all order was the most thorough arithmetic scientist to ever exist.
Isaac Newton was an English mathematician, physicist, and astronomer born in 1643. He is most famous for his laws of motion and the law of universal gravitation. Newton's "Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy" laid the groundwork for classical mechanics and has been regarded as one of the most important works in the history of science. In mathematics, he developed the foundations of calculus, although there is some contention over the extent to which he shares this achievement with Leibniz. He is the only human being to be argued as the greatest mathematician ever and the greatest physicist ever at the same time.
Gauss is cool be only a mathematician, Einstein is fine and dandy but only a physicist. Newton is in a league of his own.
I don't know of what kind of thing this creature is made of
He should be on the top of the list. He is just the greatest mathematician who ever lived! Afterall he's the founder of the most important branch of mathematics-"calculus". So please! Vote for him.
He really was a greatest mathematician what found the calculus and was really
Fantastic as placed bernoulli.
Today know calculus, but the essence as newton invented
Surely Sir Isaac newton is the best of best mathematician who ever lived. He is a god of Maths and Science and should be on number 1 spot
Euclid was an ancient Greek mathematician, often referred to as the "father of geometry" for his work in the field. He lived around 300 BC and his most famous contribution is the book "Elements," which has been used as the main textbook for teaching mathematics, particularly geometry, until modern times. The "Elements" consists of thirteen books covering topics from plane geometry to number theory. Euclid's work has had a profound influence on mathematics, serving as the main textbook for teaching mathematics (particularly geometry) until the late 19th or early 20th century. Father of geometry should be on top of the list.
The father of geometry.
The God of geometry
Archimedes was an ancient Greek mathematician, engineer, and physicist, born in 287 BC. He is most famous for his contributions to geometry and calculus of variations, as well as his inventions of military engineering such as the Archimedes screw. The story of him running naked through the streets shouting "Eureka" after discovering the principle of buoyancy is part of mathematical folklore. His work laid the foundations for much of modern mathematics and engineering. I believe Archimedes should go to the top 3. He invented buoyancy and the principle of the lever. The principle of the lever is the first principle ever to be introduced. He also made the spiral pump, which is still used today. If it weren't for him, there would be no science of today.
Archimedes used calculus 1000 years before newton "invented" it. And founded pi. And just look up the antikythera mechanism. While some do not believe he invented it, it comes from Syracuse. It comes from his time, he is the only one who could invent it and texts claim he built such a thing.
In rating these geniuses one needs to take account of what they had to build on. Gauss and Euler we
were original but had 1500 years of other brilliant minds as a starting block- what Newton called " the shoulders of giants ". Archimedes got there out of almost nothing. I would put him top.
Without him and the ancient Greek mathematicians and physicists we will still live in caves and eat bananas like monkeys.
Gottfried W. Leibniz was a German mathematician and philosopher born in 1646. He is best known for independently developing calculus around the same time as Isaac Newton. His notation and approach, especially concerning integral calculus, are still used today. Aside from mathematics, Leibniz made contributions to philosophy, law, and history. He also built one of the first mechanical calculators. Amongst his many contributions to a variety of fields, he independently invented Calculus and it is his notation that we learn today in school. His notation was so much more powerful than Newton's that because of their furious dispute, the British refused to adopt it and thus fell behind the rest of Europe in math over the next century. This is why after Newton, you don't hear about any great mathematician from England. The next wave of math geniuses came from France and Germany and other countries in the persons of Laplace, Lagrange, Gauss, Euler, etc.
Although Newton may have "discovered" calculus first, Leibniz did so as well and independent of Newton and was first to publish. But since Isaac was president of the Royal Society he accused Leibniz of plagiarism and in the end Newton was credited with the creation of calculus. But today we primarily use Leibniz's methods and notations...Newton's notations were confusing and not very helpful
He independently invented Calculus, but his notation was way better than Newton's. Leibniz's notation is used world wide. He also invented many other things like the binary system and also the first fully functional mechanical and electrical calculator.
Nearly four centuries later, and he STILL does not get the credit he deserves. An object example of politics in mathematics (oxymoronic as that sounds)
John Von Neumann was a Hungarian-American mathematician, physicist, and computer scientist, born in 1903. He made significant contributions to quantum mechanics, functional analysis, set theory, economics, and other scientific disciplines. Von Neumann was one of the key figures in the development of game theory and the concept of cellular automata. He also contributed to the development of the first electronic general-purpose computer, the ENIAC. A polymath who made vast contributions to a multitude of fields in mathematics. Ergodic theory, stochastic computing, you name it, a nimiety of topics awaiting exploration by the layman were the work of JVN. JVN was asked to write an essay on what mathematics is for the layman, and he formulated an eloquent piece - so his linguistic prowess was in correspondence with his mathematical flair. He described how the empirical straddled the logical, and warned us mere mortals of how we could readily be diverted from our path to the ultimate complexity (simplicity) with convoluted matters. "Nobody knows all of science, not even JVN." - Edward Teller, illustrating how the scope of scientific knowledge was vast and how JVN's prefrontal cortex was addled with a deep thinking regime.
He gave the theoretical architecture of computer, known as Von Neumann architecture and his contributions are far far greater. 11 number is very low rank for him. He wasn't much visible in popular culture that's why he is ranked so low, I suppose.
He contributed so many things even outside of math also in quantum physics, meteorology, machine learning rackets, atomic bomb, this dude was deep... he was really large, the math in Gaus's times wasn't difficult... so Neumann vins)...he deserves to be at least in top 3 ever
He changed every area he ever thought about. He ranks with Archimides and no one else is close to his breadth and depth of thinking.
Bernhard Riemann was a German mathematician born in 1826, best known for the formulation of Riemannian geometry, which has had a profound impact on both pure and applied mathematics. His work laid the foundations for Einstein's theory of general relativity. He also made important contributions to analysis and number theory. The famous Riemann Hypothesis, a conjecture about the distribution of prime numbers, is still unsolved and is one of the Clay Millennium Prize Problems. He is the best mathematician I think.He gaved a lot of thing to math also geometry. The eliptic geometry is very important and interesting geometry model. Than he found a lot of things too.
The greatest mathematician, in my opinion. He set the foundations of the modern geometry. You won't see anything more than his name when you study topology, complex analysis, differential geometry, etc. He is also the originator of the biggest open problem in mathematics, The Riemann Hypothesis, which after 160 years, hasn't still been proven.
He created the Riemann hypothesis considered the most difficult most problem by many, his teacher give him an 859 page book on number theory, and he returned it in just 6 days, when he was just 14(and that's saying a lot, number theory is one of the most difficult math branches).
Certainly one of the best there has been. An outstanding student of Gauss giving us spectacular theorems with a lot to think about like the Riemann Zeta Function.
Aryabhata was an ancient Indian mathematician and astronomer, born in 476 AD. He is known for writing the "Aryabhatiya," a significant work in Indian astronomy and mathematics. Aryabhata's contributions include an explanation for the rotation of the Earth on its axis, methods for calculating the volume of a sphere, and approximate values for trigonometric functions. His works have been influential not only in India but also in the Islamic world and later in Europe. His works suggest that he was a man who possessed superhuman brains. He was more than a millennium ahead of the west. He knew about gravity, different properties of the solar system, size of the earth, trigonometry, value of pi, length of an year accurate to four places after decimal, eclipses, properties and nature of the mystic no zero, etc. He also used another different approach to integral calculus in order to calculate different areas.
He is the best mathematician ever... His works were not converted into books that was the reason why he was not famous as Euler. He invented trigonometry which is most essential field in geometry.. He proved theorem of Pythagoras much before but they were not converted into books therefore we say it Pythagoras theorem..
The first inventor of zero and pi, and the first astronomer who said that the earth is round, not Copernicus. Europeans stole many concepts of Indians and certain other Eastern countries. He said that there are 7 satellites of Saturn before 8000 years and now NASA scientists does not had find the 8th one.
He had the most radical mind in mathematical history. Just think about what it took to assign a value to nothing. Seems obvious now but back then...
Pythagoras was an ancient Greek mathematician and philosopher, born around 570 BC. He is best known for the Pythagorean theorem, which relates the sides of a right triangle. Though the theorem was known to Indian mathematicians before him, it bears his name in the Western world. The Pythagorean school he founded studied mathematics, music, and astronomy, and greatly influenced subsequent Western philosophy and religious thought. This is one of the fathers of modern math argumentation system and also the author of the first in the history mathematical theorems.
The God of Trigonometry, a subject which I couldn't solve without a calculator.
The Pythagorean Theorem is very important in maths. He deserves to be in the top 5 at the least!
The Pythagorean theorem is extremely important, should be higher.
Blaise Pascal was a French mathematician and physicist born in 1623. He is known for Pascal's Triangle, a way to present binomial coefficients, and for his contributions to the theory of probability. Pascal also made important contributions to fluid mechanics and is the namesake of the unit of pressure, the Pascal. Despite dying at a young age of 39, his work in both mathematics and philosophy has left an enduring legacy.
David Hilbert was a German mathematician born in 1862 who made pioneering contributions to a wide range of mathematical fields, including algebraic number theory, the calculus of variations, and quantum mechanics. Perhaps his most famous work is Hilbert's problems, a list of 23 unsolved problems that set the course for much of 20th-century mathematics. He also contributed to mathematical logic and the foundations of geometry. His work has had a significant impact on the philosophy of mathematics and on mathematical practice. Should've ranked higher. Almost solved/completed Einstein's General Relativity theory after Albert had been working on it for 8-9 years. Hilbert decided to try and solve it, and probably did, right before Einstein. He never tried to take any credit (he wasn't a dick and knew this was Einstein's life's work).
He created the Theorem and demonstrated the proof for the Algebraic Finite Basis Theorem.
Surely one of the most influential 20th century mathematicians. He turned Göttingen into the most important centre of mathematical activity in the world (until the Nazis dismantled it for political reasons).
He is the best. He found very important things.
Well, he should at least he in top 2 for the spectacular maths he did.
I like the way he thinks
René Descartes was a French mathematician, philosopher, and scientist born in 1596. He is best known for the Cartesian coordinate system, which is fundamental to modern analytic geometry. Descartes also contributed to the philosophy of dualism, positing a separation between the mind and the body. His famous statement "Cogito, ergo sum" (I think, therefore I am) has had a lasting impact on Western philosophy. In mathematics, he developed methods that are foundational to calculus and number theory. This guy is huge in Physics Mechanics Engineering with Statics and Dynamics. Either at rest calculations to encase with tons of examples or just constantly in motion yet again confines the action beautifully struggling to understand what is going on. Future is these might be done in real time however some background might be needed. With Rene Descartes all this became possible which is good Christianity Christmas. Awesome contributions and dared to where naught been having without and again might have been delays. Those just get the job done and the name attribution to...well it is Rene Descartes.
He bridged the disparate universes of algebra and geometry with his seemingly simplistic, yet ever so intricate Cartesian system. Funny it is not noted as the Descartesian plane.
The first one to draw a circle without using a compass.
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist and mathematician, born in 1879. Though he is most famous for his theories of relativity, his work also has significant implications for the philosophy of science. Einstein's equation E=mc^2 revolutionized our understanding of matter and energy. His contributions have had a lasting impact not just in physics but also in various branches of mathematics, including differential geometry and mathematical physics. From theorizing to formulating a solution to prove he's right about the nature of the cosmos. Going way beyond the understanding of Newton. I put him as the greatest theoretical physicist, and one of if not the greatest mathematician of all time.
Proved his mathematical genius (as well as his prowess as the greatest physicist) in the formulation of general relativity.
WHAT! Are you crazy 70? He is a science genius he worked though geometry algebra and calculus before his uncle understood it. And his uncle was an electrical engineer
The greatest mathematician and physicist ever. He must be in the top ten in this list.
Alan Turing was an English mathematician and computer scientist, born in 1912. He is renowned for his work in theoretical computer science and is often considered one of the fathers of computer science. Turing is perhaps best known for his role in breaking the German Enigma code during World War II, a feat that was vital to the Allied victory. Despite his contributions, he faced persecution for his homosexuality and was chemically castrated, leading to his premature death in 1954. Inventor of the turing machine. The first theoretcal computer. Inventor of the turing test for ai. Cracked the enigma machine during WWII.
Should be higher on the list.
That is horrible that you guys even don't know how write the name of algebra's father. We all use algebra on a daily basis, he must in higher on the list. His name is "Muhammad Al-KHORAZMI" and that scientist researched all things much earlier than others
Please put him on the top because he really deserves it. How the founder of algebra can situate here. Even you should replace him with Eyler as without first the second wouldn't even conceive of something new...
I guess shamefully always europeans are on top of any lists. It is a shame for our societies that inventor of Math/Algebra is not on top of this list.
He's inventor of algebra!
How come he's not in the to 5 at least!
Pierre-Simon Laplace was a French mathematician and astronomer born in 1749. He made significant contributions to statistics, calculus, and celestial mechanics. Laplace is known for his work on probability theory and for the Laplace Transform, a mathematical operation used in various scientific and engineering applications. His work has had broad implications in physics, engineering, economics, and even philosophy. I like his name
Cantor should be much higher than 14th, he invented set theory and revolutionized the concept of infinity.
Basically invented set theory, the underlying basis of all modern mathematics.
The first one with the &$@!s to attempt to tackle infinity.
Remember how he made other mathematicians suffer after he died.
Differential equations and dynamical systems are in the base of modern math applications and technical progress. Poicare is undoubtedly one of the most prominent scientists who made this branch of math what it currently is. He deserves standing in one line with Newton, so I give him my vote.
One of the fathers of the mathematical theory of Chaos.
The last true master of ALL of mathematics!
An Italian Mathematician, he wrote a number of Important Texts which played an important role in reviving Ancient Mathematical Skills, and he made significant contributions of His own.
I am in love with his sequence. It is of genius