Math in Ancient Greece
By: Jacob D'Amour
Starting Off
Greek mathematics wanted to create a mathematical system that would be a basis for all math. When they first started, they took ideas off of Egypt and Babylon, and built off of them. Greek math was been based around geometry while it was being researched.
Thales' Intercept Theorem
Thales' Intercept Theorem is the first mathematical theory to lay out guidelines for geometry. As shown above, Thales' Intercept Theorem states that DE/BC = AE/AC = AD/AB. This means that if a triangle is drawn inside a circle with the longer side as a diameter of the circle, then the opposite angle will always be a right angle. Thales is also credited for another theorem for it that is about the ratios of the line segments that are created if two intersecting lines are intercepted by two parallels.
Numerals
The Greeks didn't just focus on geometry. They also took a focus on creating a new form of numerals. They eventually created what is known to be attic numerals. As shown above, attic numerals use 1s, 5s, 10s, 50s, 100s, etc., to create any number. Later, they created another numeric system that used factors and multiples of 60 (including 60 itself), to create any number possible.
Conclusion
Greek math has made a huge impact on mathematics. Greek math quickly became superior to all other empires, even Egypt! In fact, we even use a lot of Greek math today! So i'm pretty sure we can all say that we wouldn't have come this far in math without the Ancient Greeks.
The Greek Legacy: How the Ancient Greeks shaped modern mathematics
Video Description
This video will show you how the Ancient Greeks changed how math is used today.