Portal:Mathematics
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This portal is for the academic discipline of mathematics. For related portals of logic and statistics, please see portals: mathematics, logic, and statistics.
Mathematics, from the Greek: μαθηματικά or mathēmatiká, is the study of quantities (numbers) and their operations, interrelations, combinations, generalizations, and abstractions; and of space configurations and their structure, measurement, transformations, and generalizations. It evolved through the use of abstraction and logical reasoning, from counting, calculation, measurement, and the systematic study of positions, shapes and motions of physical objects. Mathematicians explore such concepts, aiming to formulate new conjectures and establish their truth by rigorous deduction from appropriately chosen axioms and definitions.
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There are approximately 20865 mathematical articles in Wikipedia.
| Leonhard Euler by Emanuel Handmann |
Leonhard Euler (pronounced oiler; IPA /ˈɔɪlər/) (April 15, 1707 Basel, Switzerland - September 18, 1783 St Petersburg, Russia) was a Swiss mathematician and physicist. He is considered to be the dominant mathematician of the 18th century and one of the greatest mathematicians of all time; he is certainly among the most prolific, with collected works filling over 70 volumes.
Euler developed many important concepts and proved numerous lasting theorems in diverse areas of mathematics, from calculus to number theory to topology. In the course of this work, he introduced many of modern mathematical terminologies, defining the concept of a function, and its notation, such as sin, cos, and tan for the trigonometric functions.
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In his historic work Elements, Euclid assumed the existence of parallel lines with his fifth postulate. The fifth postulate or parallel postulate is equivalent to:
- Given a line and a point not on that line, exactly one line can be drawn through that point which does not intersect the original line (see 1).
In the 19th century mathematicians began to seriously question the parallel postulate and found that other forms of geometry are possible. For example elliptical geometry:
- Given a line and a point not on that line, all lines drawn through that point will intersect the original line (see 2).
And hyperbolic geometry:
- Given a line and a point not on that line, an infinite number of lines can be drawn through the point that do not intersect the original line (see 3).
These other forms of geometry, where the parallel postulate does not hold are called Non-Euclidean geometry.
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- ...that the largest known prime number is over 12 million digits long?
- ...that the set of rational numbers is equal in size to the subset of integers; that is, they can be put in one-to-one correspondence?
- ...that there are precisely six convex regular polytopes in four dimensions? These are analogs of the five Platonic solids known to the ancient Greeks.
- ...that it is unknown whether π and e are algebraically independent?
- ...that a nonconvex polygon with three convex vertices is called a pseudotriangle?
- ...that it is possible for a three dimensional figure to have a finite volume but infinite surface area? An example of this is Gabriel's Horn.
- ... that as the dimension of a hypersphere tends to infinity, its "volume" (content) tends to 0?
- ...that the primality of a number can be determined using only a single division using Wilson's Theorem?
- ...that the line separating the numerator and denominator of a fraction is called a solidus if written as a diagonal line or a vinculum if written as a horizontal line?
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