Question

Who is the father of mathematics?

Answer 1

Hint: Mathematics was not entirely formed by one man alone. Rather, it formed as a result of years of thinking by many scholars across the globe. We cannot account for a single man all the credit of mathematics, but the earliest mathematician who contributed to the development of mathematics is Pythagoras, a Greek mathematician. Although, many claim that ‘Archimedes’ is the father of mathematics.

Complete answer:
According to the question, we are asked who is the father of mathematics. Let’s get a brief about mathematics first.
Mathematics, the word itself is obtained from the Greek word ‘mathema’ which means knowledge or a subject of instruction. Mathematics endorses a wide range of topics such as numbers, algebra, calculus, etc.
Different eras had different mathematicians that contributed to the present form of mathematics.
The earliest mathematician known is Pythagoras. He belonged to Samos which is in Ionia, Greece. He was a famous philosopher as well as a mathematician. His contribution to mathematics was numbers and also the famous Pythagoras theorem. He is believed to have lived around 570 BC – 495 BC.
After him, we have Archimedes. Many claim him to be the ‘father of mathematics’. His native place was Syracuse, a Greek territory. He lived from 287 BC to 212 BC. He pioneered in many fields of mathematics as well as science. He is also responsible for the famous Archimedes’ principle which he found while taking a bath and shouted ‘Eureka’ when he found out. His contributions in mathematics, physics, are significant.
After him, next came Aryabhata. He is also called the ‘father of mathematics in India’. He is the greatest ancient scholar of India. He is a famous, world renowned mathematician. He is the one who gave the world the void number, 0. His contribution to mathematics is significant. He is believed to have lived from 476 AD to 550 AD.
We cannot as such conclude that a particular person was responsible for the formation of entire mathematics. Rather, it evolved with time.
Some of the other prominent mathematician to have existed are:
1) Bhaskara II
2) Euler
3) Laplace
4) Carl Gauss

Therefore, on the basis of the earliest contribution, the father of mathematics is Pythagoras.

Note: We used the year in which the mathematicians were born as the basis to decide who pioneered the use of mathematics and made significant contributions. Although, every mathematician who made his contribution in mathematics is a pioneer in that particular field and we can call them father of that particular field. But, calling them ‘Father of Mathematics’ is slightly a far-fetched idea.