Famous Mathematician
Math Research Project
Introduce a Famous Mathematician
Introduction:
Students will work as independent learners to research a famous mathematician and present his/her
research.
Directions:
1. Select a famous mathematician.
2. Complete research to learn about a famous mathematician.
3. Select one of the project forms for presenting your research.
4. Complete and deliver project.
List of famous mathematicians:
Maria Agnesi
Girolamo Cardano
Bonaventura Cavalieri
Rene Descartes
Einstein
Euclid
Leonhard Euler
Pierre de Fermat
Leonardo Fibonacci
Galileo Galilei
Evariste Galois
Carl Gauss
Sophie Germain
Evelyn Boyd Granville James Gregory
Grace Hopper
Hypatia
Johannes Kepler
Joseph-Louis Lagrange Pierre Simon de LaPlace
Gottfried Leibniz
John Napier
Sofya Kovalevskaya
Sir Isaac Newton
Amalie Emmy Noether Blaise Pascal
Pythagoras
Srinivasa Ramanujan
Nicolo Tartaglia
Simon Stevin
Thales John Vann Francois Viete
John Wallis
Project choices:
o Mobile – Create a hanging mobile that tells the story of the mathematician’s life. Each shape on the
mobile should represent one part of the “Let Me Introduce You” research form. Pictures or writing on
each shape should explain important parts of the mathematician’s biography.
o Oral Report – Dress up as the person you have chosen. Tell “your” life story in a creative way using
scenery and/or props.
o T.V. Show – Write a script and produce a T.V. show about the mathematician. Sit-coms, quiz shows,
and talk shows are ideas you might consider. Costumes, scenery, and props will be needed.
o Collage – Use pictures, words, maps, and symbols to create a large collage about the mathematician.
Use this to give an oral presentation to the class.
o PowerPoint Presentation – Create a PowerPoint presentation to tell the story of the mathematician’s
life.
Assessment:
Students will be assessed using an observation checklist, research rubric, and project rubric.
Cover Page: Cover Page must include the following:
1. Famous Mathematician’s Name
2. Your Name
3. Group
4. Date
Be creative!
Final product: Final product for extra credit. Put together the following:
A. Cover page (You may decorate the cover page.)
B. Completed famous mathematician selection sheet
C. Typed version of “Let me introduce you”
D. Draft of “Let me introduce you” form
E. Completed project selection sheet
F. Completed checklist
G. Project
Famous mathematician project checklist:
Project
Famous Mathematician
Name: ___________________
Date: ___________________
Student Name: ___________________
Select a famous mathematician from the list.
I selected __________________________________ for my famous mathematician project. I
chose this mathematician because ________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________ Famous
Mathematician
Let Me Introduce You (Draft)
Take notes on the following outline to research your mathematician.
A. Vital Statistics
i. Name ________________________________________________
ii. Lifespan ________________________________________________
iii. Birthplace ________________________________________________
iv. Age at Death ________________________________________________
B. Three historic world events that occurred during his/her life.
i. ________________________________________________
ii. ________________________________________________
iii. ________________________________________________
C. Education
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
D. Marital and Family Status
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________ Famous
Mathematician
E. Occupation(s)
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
F. Three Contributions to Mathematics
i. ________________________________________________
ii. ________________________________________________
iii. ________________________________________________
G. Two interesting events from his/her life
i. ________________________________________________
ii. ________________________________________________
iii. ________________________________________________
H. Bibliography
i. ________________________________________________
ii. ________________________________________________
iii. ________________________________________________ Famous Mathematician
Name: ___________________
Date: ___________________
Group: ___________________
Let Me Introduce You (Final & Typed)
A. Vital Statistics
i. Name
ii. Lifespan
iii. Birthplace
iv. Age at Death
B. Three historic world events that occurred during his/her life.
i.
ii.
iii.
C. Education
D. Marital and Family Status
E. Occupation(s)
Famous Mathematician
F. Three Contributions to Mathematics
i.
ii.
iii.
G. Two interesting events from his/her life
i.
ii.
iii.
H. Bibliography
i.
ii.
iii.
Famous Mathematician
Name: ___________________
Date: ___________________
Group: ___________________
Famous mathematician project checklist:
Completed checklist