Running head: [SHORTENED TITLE UP TO 50 CHARACTERS] 1

Euclid and The Elements:

The Catalysts of a Mathematical and Logic Enlightenment of History

Chris Misquith, Yashess Ponnam

Junior Division

Website

Process Paper: 496 words

[SHORTENED TITLE UP TO 50 CHARACTERS] 2

My group’s topic of research was Euclid, his accomplishments, and his impact through

his textbook, The Elements. We started this indulgence into history with a broad range of ideas.

The publication The Elements intrigued us when Chris was learning about geometry on Khan

Academy’s website, as he observed the concurrency of the properties of numerous figures in

many situations in the real world, which changed our perspective, as well as those of all who

read his textbook. His work in The Elements developed the frontiers of logic and mathematics,

imbuing him in the annals of history.

Our research was conducted online, and it incorporated lectures from renowned

universities, such as Stanford and Princeton, primary sources from the time of Euclid, indicators

of his impact in society, and secondary sources that explain the functions and significance of
[SHORTENED TITLE UP TO 50 CHARACTERS] 3

Euclid and The Elements. The lectures from top universities to be the most beneficial, for they

are the logics of experts in history, logic, and mathematics. The most significant issue we faced

was the lack of accessible and credible primary sources, for many accounts related to Euclid and

The Elements are unreachable or have been lost to time. Using all our sources, we deduced that

details about Euclid himself, with the exception of the time period he lived in, being the time of

the Hellenistic Empire, are lost to time, that he strengthened and proved many previous ideas and

theorems that preceded him, as well as creating foundational statements about universal shapes

that validate all other proofs and theorems, that his textbook The Elements was publicized, which

allowed it to spread geometric understanding to many, and how Euclid’s work impacts, and has

impacted, humanity.

The project is presented in a website format, and we added the information in an

incrementing and progressive manner. We chose the website category because of my experience

in making websites and presentations. Though we were equipped with knowledge in HTML to

code a website, we chose the website maker Weebly to create an alluring and readable aesthetic

for the presentation. The site is structured so that the details, accomplishments, and impacts of

Euclid and The Elements can be observed effectively. We enjoyed incorporating the primary

sources, which consist of accounts that date back to the time of Euclid, because these conveyed

the notable impact of Euclid and his work. However, we found formatting and editing to be quite

monotonous.

Euclid and The Elements have been a massive part of the world’s understanding of logic

and mathematics in every age that succeeds the time of Euclid. Many of society’s achievements,
[SHORTENED TITLE UP TO 50 CHARACTERS] 4

from the Colosseum to the structures of today, follow the principles that Euclid proved to be

effective. Euclid's The Elements proves and conveys effective theorems and principles to

whoever reads his work, which makes his contributions to the frontiers of logic and mathematics.

Euclid’s contribution is imbued in the functioning of society itself, and history was left forever

changed due to the outreach of The Elements.