HighFour History of Mathematics
Category C: Grades 9 – 10
Round 9
Thursday, May 12, 2016
The use of calculator is not required.
Answer #1
Explanation:
perfect numbers
6, 28, 496, and 8128 are the first perfect numbers and the only ones to be
known to early Greek mathematics, and the mathematician Nicomachus
had noted 8128 as early as 100 AD. Philo of Alexandria in his first-century
book "On the creation" mentions perfect numbers, claiming that the world
was created in 6 days and the moon orbits in 28 days because 6 and 28 are
perfect.
Answer #2
Explanation:
Pascal’s triangle
The pattern of numbers that forms Pascal's triangle was known well before
Pascal's time. Pascal innovated many previously unattested uses of the
triangle's numbers, uses he described comprehensively in what is perhaps
the earliest known mathematical treatise to be specially devoted to the
triangle, his Traité du triangle arithmétique (1653).
Answer #3
Explanation:
Euclid
Euclid, sometimes called Euclid of Alexandria to distinguish him from Euclid
of Megara, was a Greek mathematician, often referred to as the "father of
geometry". He was active in Alexandria during the reign of Ptolemy I.
Answer #3
Explanation:
The imitation game
The official film website at theimitationgamemovie.com allows visitors to
unlock exclusive content by solving crossword puzzles conceived by Turing
in his lifetime.
Answer #5
Explanation:
Thales
Thales of Miletus was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher, mathematician and
astronomer from Miletus in Asia Minor, current day Milet in Turkey and
one of the Seven Sages of Greece.
HighFour History of Mathematics
Category C: Grades 9 – 10
Round 9
Thursday, May 12, 2016
The use of calculator is not required.
Answer #6
Explanation:
prime (numbers)
Prime numbers are natural numbers greater than 1 that can be divided
without remainder only by itself and by 1. Eratosthenes figured out that if
you were to write down all the natural numbers from 2 to infinity and
"sieve out" every second number after two (or multiples of two), then
move to the next available number (3) and continue to "sieve out" every
multiple of 3 and so on, one would end up with a list of prime numbers.
Answer #7
Explanation:
Fibonacci sequence
The Fibonacci sequence is named after Italian mathematician Leonardo of
Pisa, known as Fibonacci. His 1202 book Liber Abaci introduced the
sequence to Western European mathematics, although the sequence had
been described earlier as Virahanka numbers in Indian mathematics.
Answer #8
Explanation:
cubit
The cubit is an ancient unit based on the forearm length from the middle
finger tip to the elbow bottom. Cubits of various lengths were employed in
many parts of the world in antiquity, during the Middle Ages and as
recently as Early Modern Times.
Answer #9
Explanation:
13
The number 13 is synonymous with bad luck. It's considered unlucky to
have 13 guests at a dinner party, many buildings don't have a 13th floor
and most people avoid getting married or buying a house on a day marked
by this dreaded number.
Answer #10
Explanation:
Golden Ratio
The golden ratio, also known as the divine proportion, golden mean, or
golden section, is a number often encountered when taking the ratios of
distances in simple geometric figures such as the pentagon, pentagram,
decagon and dodecahedron.
HighFour History of Mathematics
Category C: Grades 9 – 10
Round 9
Thursday, May 12, 2016
The use of calculator is not required.
Answer #11
Explanation:
pentagon
A pentagon is a 5-sided polygon. Commonly, the term “pentagon” is used
to refer to the regular pentagon, that has equal sides and interior angles.
Answer #12
Explanation:
Peter Apian
Petrus Apianus (16 April 1495 – 21 April 1552), also known as Peter Apian,
was a German humanist, known for his works in mathematics, astronomy
and cartography. The lunar crater Apianus and minor planet 19139 Apian
are named in his honor.
Answer #13
Explanation:
googolplex
A googolplex is the number
, or equivalently,
. Written out
in ordinary decimal notation, it is 1 followed by
zeroes.
Answer #14
Explanation:
2
Euler formula states that for any convex polyhedron, the number of
vertices and faces together is exactly two more than the number of edges.
Symbolically v – e + f = 2.
Answer #15
Explanation:
Carl Friedrich Gauss
Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss was a German mathematician who contributed
significantly to many fields, including number theory, algebra, statistics,
analysis, differential geometry, geodesy, geophysics, and so forth.
HighFour History of Mathematics
Category C: Grades 9 – 10
Round 9
Thursday, May 12, 2016
The use of calculator is not required.
Answer #16
Explanation:
6
In number theory, a perfect number is a positive integer that is equal to the
sum of its proper positive divisors, that is, the sum of its positive divisors
excluding the number itself (also known as its aliquot sum).
Answer #17
Explanation:
Descartes
Cogito ergo sum is a Latin philosophical proposition by René Descartes
usually translated into English as "I think, therefore I am". The phrase
originally appeared in French as je pense, donc je suis in his Discourse on
the Method, so as to reach a wider audience than Latin would have
allowed.
Answer #18
Explanation:
Lars Ahlfors and Jesse Douglas
The medal was first awarded in 1936 to Finnish mathematician Lars Ahlfors
and American mathematician Jesse Douglas, and it has been awarded every
four years since 1950. Its purpose is to give recognition and support to
younger mathematical researchers who have made major contributions.
Answer #19
Explanation:
Euclid
Euclid was a Greek mathematician, often referred to as the "Father of
Geometry". His Elements is one of the most influential works in the history
of mathematics, serving as the main textbook for teaching mathematics
(especially geometry) from the time of its publication until the late 19th or
early 20th century.
Answer #20
Explanation:
Rene Descartes
René Descartes was a French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist.
Dubbed the father of modern philosophy, much of subsequent Western
philosophy is a response to his writings, which are studied closely to this
day.