Math is one of humanity's oldest projects, and ideas came from everywhere: Africa, the Middle East, India, China, Greece, the Americas, and Europe. Use the filter buttons to focus on an era or region. Tap a card to read more.
Why this matters: Math wasn't invented by one culture or country. The numerals we use are Indian, sharpened by Arabic scholars, brought to Europe centuries later. Algebra is from al-Khwarizmi. Zero is from India. Geometry has Greek, Egyptian, and Babylonian roots. Indigenous peoples in the Americas built complex calendars and counting systems too. (See
Indigenous math for more.)