The Genius of the East
Marcus du Sautoy looks at the rise of mathematics in the east, discovering how it helped build imperial China and finding out about the invention of algebra.
When ancient Greece fell into decline, mathematical progress stagnated as Europe entered the Dark Ages, but in the east mathematics reached new heights.
Du Sautoy visits China and explores how maths helped build imperial China and was at the heart of such amazing feats of engineering as the Great Wall.
In India, he discovers how the symbol for the number zero was invented and Indian mathematicians' understanding of the new concepts of infinity and negative numbers.
In the Middle East, he looks at the invention of the new language of algebra and the spread of eastern knowledge to the west through mathematicians such as Leonardo Fibonacci, creator of the Fibonacci Sequence.
Last on
More episodes
Previous
Clips
-
![]()
Indian mathematicians and discoveries in trigonometry
Duration: 02:20
-
![]()
Solving simultaneous equations using plums and peaches
Duration: 03:08
-
![]()
Islamic mathematics and the invention of algebra
Duration: 03:07
-
![]()
Eastern maths and the invention of zero and negative numbers
Duration: 06:30
Credits
| Role | Contributor |
|---|---|
| Presenter | Marcus du Sautoy |
| Series Producer | Kim Duke |
Broadcasts
- Mon 13 Oct 2008 21:00
- Tue 14 Oct 2008 00:50
- Tue 14 Oct 2008 02:50
- Sun 19 Oct 2008 19:00
- Sat 1 Aug 2009 19:30
- Mon 6 Sep 2010 19:30
- Tue 7 Sep 2010 02:05
- Tue 19 Jul 2011 20:00
- Wed 20 Jul 2011 01:30
- Mon 26 Mar 2012 19:30
- Tue 27 Mar 2012 00:25
- Mon 10 Apr 2017 00:30
- Mon 15 Jan 2018 01:00