Republic of the Philippines

LEYTE NORMAL UNIVERSITY

Tacloban City

Name: Lovely A. Booc

Student number: 1500253

REACTION PAPER: GREECE

The Greeks are quite advanced in the field of Mathematics as they were able to create
their own Greek alphabets in which each one has its corresponding numerical value. They made
use of large numbers and fractions with their alphabets. There are several Greek
mathematicians who have great contributions to Mathematics that remained of use in the
present time: Plato, Pythagoras, Euclid, Archimedes, and Diophantus to name a few.
Plato is best known for his identification of 5 regular symmetrical 3-dimensional
shapes, which he maintained were the basis for the whole universe, and which have become
known as the Platonic Solids: the tetrahedron, octahedron, icosahedron, the cube, and the
dodecahedron.
Pythagoras is best known in modern times for the Pythagorean Theorem which served
great use in architecture. His theorem might have existed long before he was born, but
Pythagoras was the first to publish this, and became known to people from different
civilizations.
Euclid is a famous mathematician too who has many great contributions, especially in
Geometry which paved the way for our deeper understanding of space. His work, “Elements,”
influenced several mathematicians who were inspired by him and his works and drove them to
explore and discover new concepts in Mathematics. Euclid’s work is so phenomenal that it
became the foundation of our modern geometry.
The mathematicians of ancient Greece made a hugely significant contribution to world
thought and all practical subjects which depend on that intellectual basis, from geometry to
engineering, astronomy to design.
Schools and academies were built to cater to the growing interest in breaking-through
new concepts in mathematics. It encouraged the Greeks to contribute to society with their given
intellectual capacity, as this is evident since there are several Greek mathematicians who made
remarkable contributions in the field of mathematics and science.
The mathematics of this civilization made so much influence on the concepts in our
modern mathematics that became essential in our daily lives and in opening new academic
endeavors.
The mathematics in ancient Greece was influenced by the Egyptians, however, they
made a great effort in providing proof of these concepts. The concept of mathematics in this
era has made huge improvements to the next generation and provided us in the present time the
knowledge we needed to improve life and discover new beginnings.