Kakata Rural Teacher Training Institute (KRTTI)

B Certificate Program
Mathematics Department

Course: Code: MAGS 114

Course Title:Understanding Mathematics Concepts and Skills
Theme: The nature of Mathematics
Topic: History of development of Mathematics: Early Mathematicians and their contribution to the
development of Mathematics
Lesson Note: 2

Dark Age of Math in Medieval Europe

During the centuries in which the Chinese, Indian and Islamic mathematicians had been in the

ascendancy, Europe had fallen into the Dark Ages. The fall of the Roman Empire had pushed
authority into the hands of the Roman Catholic Church and feudal lords whose oppressions led
to a sharp decline in the study of science and mathematics. Scholastic scholars only valued
studies in the humanities, such as philosophy and literature, and spent much of their energies
quarrelling over subtle subjects in metaphysics and theology, such as "How many angels can
stand on the point of a needle?"

In European from the 4th to 12th Centuries all trade and calculation was made using the clumsy
and inefficient Roman numeral system, and with an abacus based on Greek and Roman models.

By the 12th Century, though, Europe, and particularly Italy, was beginning to trade with the
East, and Eastern knowledge gradually began to spread to the West. Robert of Chester
translated Al-Khwarizmi's important book on algebra into Latin in the 12th Century, and the
complete text of Euclid's “Elements” was translated in various versions by Adelard of Bath,
Herman of Carinthia and Gerard of Cremona. The great expansion of trade and commerce in
general created a growing practical need for mathematics, and arithmetic entered much more
into the lives of common people and was no longer limited to the academic realm.

The advent of the printing press in the mid-15th Century also had a huge impact. Numerous
books on arithmetic were published for the purpose of teaching business people computational
methods for their commercial needs and mathematics gradually began to acquire a more
important position in education.

Europe’s first great medieval mathematician was the Italian Leonardo of Pisa, better known by
his nickname Fibonacci. His most important contribution to European mathematics was his role
in spreading the use of the Hindu-Arabic numeral system throughout Europe early in the 13th
Century, which soon made the Roman numeral system obsolete, and opened the way for great
advances in European mathematics.

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Math in Renaissance Europe

The Renaissance is defined as a period in Europe, from the 14th to the 17th century and is
considered to be the bridge between the middle ages and modern history. It started as a cultural
movement in Italy in the Late Medieval period and later spread to the rest of Europe. Its
influence was felt in literature, philosophy, art, music, politics, science and mathematics,
religion, and other areas of intellectual analysis.

European intellectual life regained momentum in the 14th century. European mathematicians
also studied translations of Greek and Arab texts. The Italian merchants traveled widely
throughout the East, bringing goods back in hopes of making a profit. They needed little by way
of mathematics. Only the elementary needs of finance were required like the determination of
costs, the determination of revenues, etc. In Italy, Luca Pacioli published a book on arithmetic,
geometry and book-keeping at the end of the 15th Century which became quite popular for the
mathematical puzzles it contained. It also introduced symbols for plus and minus for the first
time in a printed.

During the 16th and early 17th Century, the equals, multiplication, division, radical (root),
decimal and inequality symbols were gradually introduced and standardized. The use of
decimal fractions and decimal arithmetic is usually attributed to the Flemish mathematician
Simon Stevin.

Modern Mathematics in Europe

The 17th Century saw an unprecedented explosion of mathematical and scientific ideas across
Europe, a period sometimes called the Age of Reason.

The invention of the logarithm in the early 17th Century by John Napier contributed to the
advance of science, astronomy and mathematics by making some difficult calculations
relatively easy. It was one of the most significant mathematical developments of the age.

Napier also improved Simon Stevin's decimal notation and popularized the use of the decimal
point.

The Frenchman René Descartes  is sometimes considered the first of the modern school of
mathematics. His development of analytic geometry and Cartesian coordinates in the mid-17th
Century soon allowed the orbits of the planets to be plotted on a graph, as well as laying the
foundations for the later development of calculus. Descartes is also credited with the first use of
superscripts for powers or exponents.

It was an ongoing exchange of letters between Fermat and Pascal that led to the development
of the field of probability theory. The first published work on probability theory was by the
Dutchman Christiaan Huygens in 1657, although it was largely based on the ideas in the
letters of the two Frenchmen.

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Newton and the German philosopher and mathematician Gottfried Leibniz both working
independently, completely revolutionized mathematics (not to mention physics, engineering,
economics and science in general) by the development of calculus.

Questions
1. During the centuries in which the Chinese, Indian and Islamic mathematicians had been
in the ascendancy, Europe had fallen in to the ________ Ages
a) Golden d) Brown
b) Dark e) Red
c) Green

2. During the Dark ages in Medieval Europe, scholastic scholars studied mostly the sciences
than the humanities. True / False?

3. Which European country helped spread the development of mathematics during the Dark
ages in Europe and how did they it?

4. What were the causes of the sharp decline in the advancement of the studies in science
and mathematics in the Dark ages in Europe?

5. Which European mathematics spread the use of the Hindu-Arabic numeral system
throughout Europe early in the 13th Century, which soon made the Roman numeral
system obsolete, and opened the way for great advances in European mathematics?

6. What invention helped spread the development of Mathematics in the Dark ages?

7. The ___________________ period started as a cultural movement in Italy in the Late

Medieval period and later spread to the rest of Europe. Its influence was felt in literature,
philosophy, art, music, politics, science and mathematics, religion, and other areas of
intellectual analysis.

8. Which Mathematician introduced symbols for plus and minus for the first time in a
printed? And where was he from?

9. Who introduce the use of decimal fractions and decimal arithmetic and where is he from?

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10.During which period in the development of mathematics were the equals, multiplication,
division, radical (root), decimal and inequality symbols were gradually introduced and
standardized?
a) Math during the Golden Ages c) Math in Medieval Europe
b) Math During the Classical d) Math in Renaissance Europe
Period e) Modern Mathematics in Europe

11.Which century is called the Age of reasoning in the history of the development of
mathematics?

12.The invention of the _________________ in the early 17th Century by John Napier
contributed to the advance of science, astronomy and mathematics by making some
difficult calculations relatively easy. It was one of the most significant mathematical
developments of the age.

13.The invention of the logarithm was in what century and by whom?

14. During which period in the development of mathematics was decimal notation
popularized?
a) Math during the Golden Ages c) Math in Medieval Europe
b) Math During the Classical d) Math in Renaissance Europe
Period e) Modern Mathematics in Europe

15.The Frenchman _____________ is sometimes considered the first of the modern school
of mathematics for his development of analytic geometry and Cartesian coordinates in the
mid-17th Century

16.Which two mathematicians are noted for the development of calculus?

17.During which period in the development of mathematics was probability developed?

a) Math during the Golden Ages c) Math in Medieval Europe
b) Math During the Classical d) Math in Renaissance Europe
Period e) Modern Mathematics in Europe

18.Who is credited with the first use of superscripts for powers or exponents?

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