1. During middle ages there was a curious practice in which Arabs used to carve a pair of ‘Friendly Numbers’, one on each fruit. They would eat one and offer the other to their lover as an aphrodisiac. What were these 2 special numbers?
220 and 284, the simplest pair of ‘Friendly Numbers’
2. Second only to the Bible in the number of editions published, ‘Elements’ is the most influential textbook ever and has been used to teach geometry for more than 2000 years. Who wrote this book?
Euclid
3. What new world record did Professor Yasumasa Kanada and his team create at Information Technology Center of Tokyo University using a Hitachi supercomputer for 400 hours in September 2002?
Computation of the mathematical constant pi to 1.24 trillion decimal places
4. Which famous 18th Century mathematician was referred to as ‘Mathematical Cyclops’ by Frederick the Great because he became blind in one eye?
Leonhard Euler
5. Name the French Pope who at the turn of the last millennium was instrumental in introducing the Arab numerals 1,2,3…to the Western World.
Pope Sylvester II
6. Proposed by a German mathematician in 1859 what is considered as the Holy Grail of mathematics?
The Riemann Hypothesis
7. He was a lawyer by profession and pursued mathematics as a hobby in his spare time. But his work in number theory is of such exceptionally high quality that he is considered as one of the greatest mathematicians of all times. Name this ‘prince of amateurs’ as he was referred to by E.T. Bell in his well known book on the history of mathematics.
Pierre de Fermat
8. Name the British mathematician who finally proved the famous Fermat’s Last Theorem in 1995
Andrew Wiles
9. Name the ancient Greek philosopher who founded a secret society with an inner circle of followers known as ‘mathematikoi’ (priests of mathematicians) who were allowed no personal possessions and were vegetarians.
Pythagoras
10. Which famous ancient Greek mathematician, sometimes known as ‘the father of algebra’ has an algebraic riddle carved on his tombstone to calculate his age?
Diophantus
220 and 284, the simplest pair of ‘Friendly Numbers’
2. Second only to the Bible in the number of editions published, ‘Elements’ is the most influential textbook ever and has been used to teach geometry for more than 2000 years. Who wrote this book?
Euclid
3. What new world record did Professor Yasumasa Kanada and his team create at Information Technology Center of Tokyo University using a Hitachi supercomputer for 400 hours in September 2002?
Computation of the mathematical constant pi to 1.24 trillion decimal places
4. Which famous 18th Century mathematician was referred to as ‘Mathematical Cyclops’ by Frederick the Great because he became blind in one eye?
Leonhard Euler
5. Name the French Pope who at the turn of the last millennium was instrumental in introducing the Arab numerals 1,2,3…to the Western World.
Pope Sylvester II
6. Proposed by a German mathematician in 1859 what is considered as the Holy Grail of mathematics?
The Riemann Hypothesis
7. He was a lawyer by profession and pursued mathematics as a hobby in his spare time. But his work in number theory is of such exceptionally high quality that he is considered as one of the greatest mathematicians of all times. Name this ‘prince of amateurs’ as he was referred to by E.T. Bell in his well known book on the history of mathematics.
Pierre de Fermat
8. Name the British mathematician who finally proved the famous Fermat’s Last Theorem in 1995
Andrew Wiles
9. Name the ancient Greek philosopher who founded a secret society with an inner circle of followers known as ‘mathematikoi’ (priests of mathematicians) who were allowed no personal possessions and were vegetarians.
Pythagoras
10. Which famous ancient Greek mathematician, sometimes known as ‘the father of algebra’ has an algebraic riddle carved on his tombstone to calculate his age?
Diophantus
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