Quiz Bowl: You got to know it: Mathematicians (Mathematics)
1. This English mathematician is best known for a lengthy feud with Gottfried Leibniz over the invention of calculus, though it is now accepted that both independently developed it. His contributions also include generalizing the binomial theorem to non-integer exponents, creating Newton's method for finding roots, and doing early work with power series. For 15 points, name this mathematician.
Answer: Isaac Newton
2. This ancient Greek mathematician is famous for his work in geometry, especially for writing The Elements, a comprehensive textbook that has been used for over 2,000 years. One of his key results was proving that there are infinitely many prime numbers. His five postulates defined what is now known as Euclidean geometry, and his fifth postulate led to the development of non-Euclidean geometries. For 15 points, name this mathematician.
Answer: Euclid
3. Often referred to as the "Prince of Mathematicians," this German mathematician made groundbreaking contributions to many areas, including number theory, where he proved the fundamental theorem of arithmetic and the law of quadratic reciprocity. He also proved the fundamental theorem of algebra in his doctoral dissertation. For 15 points, name this mathematician.
Answer: Carl Friedrich Gauss
4. This Greek mathematician is best known for his "eureka" moment in which he discovered how to determine the purity of a gold crown. He also made significant contributions to geometry, including finding the ratios between the surface areas and volumes of a sphere and a circumscribed cylinder, and developing a method of exhaustion to find areas. For 15 points, name this mathematician.
Answer: Archimedes
5. Known for independently inventing calculus, this German mathematician is also credited with introducing modern calculus notation, including the integral sign and the use of "d" to represent differentials. In addition to his work on calculus, he contributed to binary numbers and symbolic logic. For 15 points, name this mathematician.
Answer: Gottfried Leibniz
6. This French mathematician is remembered for his work in number theory, including his little theorem, which states that for any integer aaa, ap−aa^{p} - aap−a is divisible by a prime number ppp. He is perhaps most famous for the statement of his last theorem, which took over 300 years to prove. For 15 points, name this mathematician.
Answer: Pierre de Fermat
7. This Swiss mathematician, known for his work in many areas of mathematics, invented graph theory by solving the Seven Bridges of Königsberg problem, which involved determining whether a certain path could traverse each bridge exactly once. He is also known for introducing notation for the irrational number eee and for proving Euler’s formula relating complex numbers and trigonometric functions. For 15 points, name this mathematician.
Answer: Leonhard Euler
8. This Austrian logician is famous for his two incompleteness theorems, which showed that in any sufficiently powerful formal system, there exist true statements that are unprovable. His later life was marked by paranoia, and he ultimately died of starvation after refusing to eat, believing his food had been poisoned. For 15 points, name this mathematician.
Answer: Kurt Gödel
9. This British mathematician is best known for proving Fermat’s Last Theorem in 1995, which had been an unsolved problem for over 300 years. His proof was a consequence of his work on the Taniyama-Shimura conjecture. For 15 points, name this mathematician.
Answer: Andrew Wiles
10. This Irish mathematician is known for his invention of quaternions, a four-dimensional extension of complex numbers that includes six square roots of −1-1−1. For 15 points, name this mathematician.
Answer: William Rowan Hamilton