Site • RSS • Apple PodcastsDescription (podcaster-provided):
Where we explore the historical figures that count. An in-depth look at the history of mathematics, in chronological order, looking at the people, the theories, the ideas - with as fewer gaps as possible. Each episode we focus in on a single character or contribution to the history of maths and explore why it is significant, and how it evolved.Themes and summary (AI-generated based on podcaster-provided show and episode descriptions):
➤ history of mathematics through ancient to medieval figures • geometry and constructions: conics, curves, squaring circle, doubling cube • number theory, algebra, equations • logic, philosophy, religion, infinity • astronomy, calendars, navigation • engineering, optics, instruments, puzzlesThis podcast is a chronological history of mathematics told through biographies of individual thinkers and the specific ideas they developed, used, or helped transmit. It begins in the ancient world and follows the growth of mathematical practice from early arithmetic and measurement into the Greek tradition of proof, construction, and philosophical argument. Across the series, mathematics is treated as both a technical subject and a cultural activity shaped by institutions such as academies and libraries, and by wider intellectual movements in philosophy and science.
A large share of the content centers on classical geometry: the rise of theorem-based reasoning; famous construction problems like squaring the circle and doubling the cube; and the development of special curves, conic sections, and their later extensions. The podcast also tracks how geometry connects to astronomy and geography, covering topics such as spherical geometry, early trigonometric methods, map projections, and quantitative attempts to measure the Earth and the distances to celestial bodies. Alongside pure theory, there is recurring attention to mathematical engineering and applied mechanics—machines, optics, automata, and practical instruments—showing how computation and geometry were used to model motion, design devices, and solve real-world problems.
Another theme is the evolution of number-focused mathematics, including prime-number methods, classifications of numbers (such as perfect and amicable numbers), and the early history of algebra and equation-solving traditions. The show also spends time on logic and the foundations of reasoning, from ancient syllogistic and propositional logic to later discussions of infinity, axioms, and limits of formal systems.
Interviews appear under a recurring subseries, bringing in specialists and contemporary math communicators to discuss topics like philosophical context, instructional puzzles, and modern perspectives on infinity. In later episodes, the narrative emphasizes preservation and transmission—commentaries, textbooks, lost works, and the shift from late antiquity into the medieval world—highlighting how mathematical knowledge survived through compilation, teaching, and calendar-making as much as through new theorems.
