Who is the greatest mathematician ever?

[gib1233]

The picture is the fields medal ( highest award for mathematics )

Isaac Newton

Archimedes

Carl Gauss

Leonard Euler

Bernard Rienman

David Hilbert

Other

[abc3643]

You forgot Paul Erdös and John von Neumann and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz and William Rowan Hamilton.

My money is on Newton, Leibniz, or Euler. John von Neumann shouldn't be discounted either, nor should Gauss.

And, ALSO, this guy:

Lev Semenovich Pontryagin, a Soviet mathematician who was blind. He made monumental contributions to something vitally important today: The Maximum Principle which is critical to the calculus of variations and optimal control. All modern control systems worth their salt employ optimal control theory. If you can, get a copy of his masterwork "The Mathematical Theory of Optimal Processes". In the words of the late, great Dr. Howard Kaufman, "It's good reading for the beach."

Another guy: The Russian Aleksandr Lyapunov. When you learn Lyapunov Stability (in particular, the Second Method of Lyapunov), your mind is blown like A. Square's was when Sphere took Square out of Flatland.

[abc3643]

I also want to throw in Emmy Noether who also had a revolutionary mind-blowing mathematical discovery about the physical world: If a system has a continuous symmetry property, then there are corresponding quantities whose values are conserved in time.

And, last for now, but not least: James Clerk Maxwell

Oh, and Edward John Routh and Harry Nyquist. Without Harry Nyquist, you might as well be living in the Stone Age.

[abc3643]

I just wanted to comment on Russian/Soviet mathematicians...

During the latter half of the 20th Century, the West was more technologically advanced than the Soviets and the nations behind the Iron Curtain. In particular, mid-century computer technology (this is before PCs...).

So, the West began to use their computers for doing all sorts of numerical computations such as coming up with numerical (approximate) solutions to differential equations and optimization problems.

But, during the Cold War, the Soviets needed to keep up, so, not having the computers on par with the West, they developed their intellect and improved their mathematical techniques.

Around the dawn of the Space Age, many of these new Russian/Soviet mathematical techniques were being discovered because Soviet scientific papers were being translated from Russian into English. This led to a major jump in mathematics in the West at that time.

For instance, Lyapunov's Doctorate was from 1892, but totally unknown in the West. Once his thesis was translated in English and other Western languages, it greatly changed the field of control theory which was an important, rapidly changing subject during the 20th Century. "Stability in the sense of Lyapunov" using his second method became (and still is) a major tool for developing control systems that are stable. This is important for almost all modern technology.

Meanwhile, Pontryagin's work had a huge impact also on optimal control systems. His work was independent of, but reinforced the work of Richard E. Bellman when it came to optimization methods. (Google Richard E. Bellman and "dynamic programming".)

[ohsheeT]

I don't know the name of the person but they wrote this 4,000 years ago and it has to do with the alphabet and numerals it's the Bible code every single one of us are in the Bible code it has our destiny where we're headed right now today and if we make one choice to change anything it changes right along with us now that's to me is just unreal unreal

Alphabet and numerals 4,000 years ago everything on this planet has to do with math and the alphabet because it all equals frequency and vibration equals energy and everything on this planet is energy it's all numbers

[Girlsontop]

There are more which I cannot remember the name of but for now I would say Euler

[gib1233]

Great choice !

[Kelly6]

Person who created Algebra.

Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi

[loveslongnails]

I don't know enough about the subject to offer a valid opinion, but I do think you would have to consider the era and what was known or accpeted at the time vs what was being advanced by the mathematician as "new". That being said, Archimedes might get my vote, but I'd have to know more about these other people.

[Anonymous]

So for me it's Alan Turing, invented the computer, soloed the nazi's and in thanks we bullied him until he killed himself.

People are twats.

[exitseven]

Yes, he invented the Turing machine that used paper tape as a medium. It was the first digital computer.

[BCRanger10]

Probably either Newton or Archimedes.

I'm surprised @Physics-Man didn't ask this one. Seems like one he'd enjoy.

[slatyb]

That's a very difficult choice. I would say either Newton or Gauss.

[gib1233]

Its weird Gauss has 0 votes, although he's for sure top 3 in my opinion

[exitseven]

I always liked Euhler. computer networks would be chaotic without him.

[gib1233]

Graph theory?

[exitseven]

No, the Ethernet switch uses an algorithm to prevent to prevent loops. That algorithm is derived from Euhler's Path.

[gib1233]

Yeah Eulet's path falls within graph theory... thats what I meant

[exitseven]

Yes, now that you mention it it does. Grad school was a long time ago.

[Physics-Man]

I'd have to go with Isaac Newton, although all of the options mentioned were great.

The Abel Prize is another well-regarded award in Mathematics as well.

[OddBeMe]

Whomever gets to use all those other blokes’ work to improve math even more.

But shoot the sob who thought up imaginary numbers.

[Jmmmfi4]

Rienman definitely

[gib1233]

Rienman hypothesis baby

[WhitneySnow]

Hyapatia of Alexandria

[LiamJHayden]

Brahmagupta