It contains 84 different mathematical problems - such as how to distribute 100 loaves of bread among a workforce in different ratios. Such skills were constantly needed by scribes - the administrators of the Egyptian society. This papyrus was placed in its owner's tomb as a sign of his highly educated status.You can listen to the 15 minute podcast, see the interactive version of the object and read more details on the history and significance of this papyrus on the British Museum website titled, A History of the World in 100 Objects.
The cubic equations which led, after 400 years, to the development of alternating current - and the electric chair.
The centuries-old work on games of chance which eventually contributed to the birth of population statistics.
The discovery of non-Euclidean geometry, which crucially provided an 'off-the-shelf' solution which helped Albert Einstein forge his theory of relativity.
The 17th-century theorem which became the basis for credit card encryption
If this article has inspired you to do some calculus, here is a problem for you:
Poems, or rhymes, have been used for a long time as mnemonics for important numbers such as π and e, or to assist with the memorization of techniques or formulas, such as, for example, the formula for finding the roots of a quadratic equation. Some of these rhyming mnemonics are of historical vintage.... [full article here]
