Math! Science! History!

Even though there is a Multiplication Map attributed to Tesla, I've taken liberties to call it Birchak's Sumerian Sexagesimal Spiral, because of eponymy. If none of this makes sense, it will once you listen to my latest podcast on eponymy.  For more pictures and descriptions of the sexagesimal spiral, along with other stories about the history of math and science, please come visit me at www. Math...

This is a reposted podcast about Hypatia. The story of Hypatia of Alexandria is almost 2,000 years old. She was one of our earliest female mathematicians, astronomers, philosophers, and professors. But above all of that, she was loved by Alexandria! So why was she murdered?! The answer is in the podcast! If you are interested in reading more about the history of math and science, please visit me o...

The annual 2020 Math Science History Holiday Puzzle is UP!! This year the first person to respond with the correct answer receives a $25 Amazon gift card! The details are in the podcast and at MathScienceHistory.com. Thank you for a wonderful year! Until 2021, carpe diem! To buy my book Hypatia: The Sum of Her Life on Amazon, visit https://a.co/d/g3OuP9h All music is public domain. Little Prince b...

If there is one word to describe Nikola Tesla, it would be brilliant! His inventions, ideas, and patents changed the world. One of his greatest inventions, the AC power motor, enabled us with the ability to power our homes with electricity.  For more pictures and descriptions of Tesla's AC motor, along with other stories about the history of math and science, please come visit me at www. MathScien...

No, Napoleon Bonaparte was not short. This historical misconception is often cited as fact. In math there are many misconceptions like boys are smarter at math than girls. But, that is not true! The details are all in the podcast! For more information about some of these celebrities, including their works in science, please visit me at  www. MathScienceHistory.com . And while you're there, feel fr...

Some celebrities are tremendous actors and musicians, and some actors and musicians are also tremendous scientists and mathematicians. Who are these brainiacs?! You might be surprised! For more information about some of these celebrities, including their works in science, please visit me at www. MathScienceHistory.com . And while you're there, feel free to buy me a cup of coffee to support the pod...

The toys of the industrial revolution have contributed a great deal to science. This is no accident. Sometimes our greatest moments of discovery happen when our minds are curious and at play. If you want to read more about the history of math and science, please visit me at  www. MathScienceHistory.com . And while you're there, feel free to buy me a cup of coffee to support the podcast and the blo...

Today, some of our fastest electric hypercars produce almost 2,000 horsepower. But what does horsepower mean? And what do sports cars have to do with the industrial revolution? It's all in the podcast Math! Science! History! If you want to read more about the history of math and science, please visit me at www. MathScienceHistory.com . And while you're there, feel free to buy me a cup of coffee to...

Pascal's triangle is a triangular pattern of binomial coefficients. If that makes no sense, in real life, you can use Pascal's triangle to figure out combinations of things, like pizza! The incredible story of Blaise Pascal is all in the podcast! If you want to read more about Pascal's triangle as well as the history of math and science, please visit me at www. MathScienceHistory.com . And while y...

Imaginary boyfriends are nice. But imaginary numbers are better! Where did they come from? And who decided to name them imaginary? The answers are all in the podcast! If you want to read more about the history of math and science, visit me at www. MathScienceHistory.com . And while you're there, feel free to buy me a cup of coffee to support the podcast and the blog! To buy my book Hypatia: The Su...

Albert Einstein once said, "Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe." This leads me to wonder many things: One, will we ever evolve into intelligent beings? Two, is the universe really infinite? And three, what is infinity? Visit me at www. MathScienceHistory.com ! And while you're there, please feel free to buy me a cup of coffee! To purchase...

Just recently the National Science Foundation awarded UC Berkeley $25 million to create a multi-university institute to create quantum computers. This will take math to a whole new level, much like Brahmagupta did in 628 CE! If you want to see more details about Brahmagupta's math, as well as other posts about the history of math and science, Visit me at www. MathScienceHistory.com ! And while you...

Statistics are awesome! If you know the data, stats can get you out of any argument. The history of statistics goes back over 5,000 years. And get this, one of the most prominent statisticians was not an academic mathematician. And all the details are in the podcast! If you are interested in learning more about the history of math and science, please visit me at www. MathScienceHistory.com ! And w...

Despite his multiple honorary doctorates and being named Chicagoan of the Year,  Chemist Dr. Percy Julian found himself up a tree with a shotgun, defending his family and his house. How and why did such a prominent individual have to resort to such measures to protect all that he worked for? The details are all in the podcast! Visit me at  www. MathScienceHistory.com  ! And while you're there, ple...

Thomas Fuller. He was born in 1710 in Africa. He was known as the Virginia calculator. Benjamin Rush wanted to see slavery abolished. He believed that Fuller was the perfect individual to make his case. The details are all in the podcast! Visit me at  www. MathScienceHistory.com  ! And while you're there, please feel free to buy me a cup of coffee! To purchase Hypatia: The Sum of Her Life, visit ...

Cryptography has evolved in such a distinctive way that we can now use it for cryptocurrency, authentication, privacy, and to deter recent advancements in quantum code-breaking. The details are all in the podcast! Visit me at  www. MathScienceHistory.com  ! And while you're there, please feel free to buy me a cup of coffee! To purchase Hypatia: The Sum of Her Life, visit  https://a.co/d/eU41Uun  ...

There was that time on May 6, 1910, when a red ball of light approached our Earth's sky as King Edward the seventh suffered a series of heart attacks and died. However, in that same month, as the ball grew brighter and approached closer to our planet, on May 19, 1910, Oliver Wendell Holmes and his wife Fanny went to a Naval Observatory on Massachusetts Avenue to observe this ball of light. They en...

How does one get a haircut during a pandemic? It's almost as puzzling as Georg Cantor's Barber Puzzle!  If you are interested in reading more about the set theory behind the Barber Puzzle, please visit me at www. MathScienceHistory.com  !  And while you're there, please feel free to buy me a cup of coffee, because every cup of coffee keeps my podcast up and running!  To purchase Hypatia: The Sum o...

What do one brilliant woman, one Democratic Senator and one Republican Congressman have to do with the very first Earth Day? The details are all in the podcast! Visit me at  www. MathScienceHistory.com  ! And while you're there, please feel free to buy me a cup of coffee! To purchase Hypatia: The Sum of Her Life, visit  https://a.co/d/eU41Uun   Thank you for listening! Until next week, carpe diem!...

On April 13, 1625, Galileo's friend Giovanni Faber, wrote a letter to Prince Federico Angelo Cesi about this fascinating tool that could magnify small items. He referred to it as the "microscope" that is derived from the Greek words micron, which means small, and skopein , which means to look at. The details are all in the podcast! Visit me at  www. MathScienceHistory.com  ! And while you're there...

Even after Dr. Charles Drew's passing, his name lived on. His home was designated as a National Historic Landmark. The United States Postal Service honored him, schools have been named after him, and a United States Navy ship has been named after him. Also, in 2002, he was listed as one of the 100 greatest African Americans. The details are all in the podcast! Visit me at  www. MathScienceHistory....

What is most mathematically wonderful about Chaos Theory is the reminder that we can find ordered structures in the chaos that surrounds us. These structures are actually the mathematical tools that we use to find order.  If you are interested in reading more about the history of math and science, please visit my website, https://www.mathsciencehistory.com  - and while you are there, please feel f...

Emmy Noether was born on March 23, 1882. In her lifetime, she changed the landscape of algebra and physics. Einstein referred to her as a significant creative mathematical genius! Her mathematics and the story of her life are astounding! If you are interested in learning more about Noether's Theorem, I have videos on my Website at www. MathScienceHistory.com  ! So please, visit me! And while you'r...

In 1834 the scientist William Whewell proposed a term that would combine the activities of physicists, chemists, philosophers, philologists, and mathematicians. That word was Scientist! But, there was push back and entertaining infighting in Britain about the absurdity of the word and it's all in the podcast! If you are interested in reading more about the word scientist , I have links on my Websi...