Word Search: Meet four mathematical geniuses who changed the world

Imagine a world without zero, or where there was no concept of addition, multiplication… mathematics! Almost all technological and scientific advancements would disappear. Without maths, much of our progress wouldn’t have been possible.

Click start to play today’s Word Search, where you can spot famous mathematicians.

Brilliant minds from around the world are responsible for advancing our understanding of maths. Here are a few mathematicians from our Word Search, whose work has had a lasting impact:

1. Euclid

Known as the father of geometry, the Greek mathematician is best known for his treatise called Elements. Written in around 300BC, it has defined the way formal mathematics has been practiced for over 2,000 years. Euclid’s primary idea was that one must start from certain axioms that are assumed to be true, and then use purely deductive methods to establish a set of theorems. Among the 465 theorems he put forward, are many famous results, like the Pythagorean theorem, the triangle inequality, and the fact that there are an infinite number of primes.

2. Pythagoras

One of the most well-known mathematical formulas – the Pythagorean theorem – belongs to Greek mathematician and philosopher Pythagoras. His influence on later philosophers and the advancement of Greek philosophy is considered to be enormous. Plato references Pythagoras in a number of his works, and Aristotle was one of his students. The elusive philosopher was known for being secretive and for carefully guarding his mathematical processes – a mystique that just added to his reputation.

3. Ramanujan

Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan was a prodigy in the subject, and despite struggling with poverty at a young age, rose to the forefront of mathematics in India, and later, in the West. Ramanujan worked out the Riemann series – a paradox that had flummoxed academics for decades – and also contributed to elliptic integrals, hypergeometric series and functional equations of the zeta function. All of this, without a formal university education.

4. Gauss

German mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss is sometimes referred to as the “princeps mathematicorum” (Latin for “the foremost of mathematicians”). Gauss is responsible for proving the fundamental theorem of algebra, and for making significant contributions to number theory. Gauss’s work is also vital to advancements in physics – his work led to new knowledge in magnetism and the discovery of Kirchhoff’s circuit laws in electricity.

What do you think of these great minds? Play today’s Word Search and tell us at games@gulfnews.com.