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A Brief History of Mathematics

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Newton and Leibniz

Episode 1 of 10

Duration:
15 minutes
First broadcast:
Monday 14 June 2010

This ten part history of mathematics reveals the personalities behind the calculations: the passions and rivalries of mathematicians struggling to get their ideas heard. Marcus du Sautoy shows how these masters of abstraction find a role in the real world and proves that mathematics is the driving force behind modern science.

Today, the story of two late 17th century mathematicians who worked on the same problem at the same time - the calculus - in which the great hero of British science, Newton, reveals himself to be a little less gentlemanly than his German rival, Leibniz. The calculus is one of the greatest achievements of mankind: an astronaut and an investment analyst pay homage to its enormous power.

Producer: Anna Buckley.

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  1. Image for A Brief History of Mathematics

    A Brief History of Mathematics

    Professor Marcus du Sautoy argues that mathematics is the driving force behind modern science. Ten...

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