The Language of the Universe
Marcus du Sautoy uncovers the use of a decimal system based on ten fingers of the hand and looks at the contributions of the great Greek mathematicians.
After showing how fundamental mathematics is to our lives, Marcus du Sautoy explores the mathematics of ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia and Greece.
In Egypt, he uncovers use of a decimal system based on ten fingers of the hand, while in former Mesopotamia he discovers that the way we tell the time today is based on the Babylonian Base 60 number system.
In Greece, he looks at the contributions of some of the giants of mathematics including Plato, Euclid, Archimedes and Pythagoras, who is credited with beginning the transformation of mathematics from a tool for counting into the analytical subject we know today.
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Credits
| Role | Contributor |
|---|---|
| Presenter | Marcus du Sautoy |
| Series Producer | Kim Duke |
| Producer | Karen McGann |
| Director | Karen McGann |
Broadcasts
- Mon 6 Oct 2008 21:00
- Tue 7 Oct 2008 01:00
- Tue 7 Oct 2008 03:00
- Sun 12 Oct 2008 19:00
- Mon 27 Oct 2008 03:25
- Sat 25 Jul 2009 19:30
- Mon 30 Aug 2010 20:00
- Tue 31 Aug 2010 02:00
- Tue 12 Jul 2011 20:00
- Wed 13 Jul 2011 02:15
- Mon 19 Mar 2012 19:30
- Mon 19 Mar 2012 23:10
- Mon 3 Apr 2017 00:30
- Mon 15 Jan 2018 00:00