In Our Time: 25 Theories and Thinkers in the History of Mathematics

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss 25 pivotal concepts, theorists and developments that have advanced the science of mathematics 'Might be the best radio programme ever' Oliver Burkeman, The Guardian In Our Time is a Radio 4 phenomenon, a knowledge juggernaut that has informed and entertained over 2 million listeners each week since its first broadcast in 1998. In its 25 years on air, it has covered an astonishing array of topics, from the Second Law of Thermodynamics to the Sistine Chapel. Beginning with three introductory episodes, this specially curated collection explores 25 of the most important individuals, ideas and discoveries that have transformed our understanding of mathematics over the past 5,000 years. We learn how Indian mathematics provided the foundations for much of our modern thinking, discover why Euclid's Elements is the most influential textbook ever written and hear of the epic feud between Sir Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibniz over who invented calculus. Plus, we are introduced to influential mathematicians including Pythagoras, Blaise Pascal, Emmy Noether and Alan Turing, as well as key concepts, problems and puzzles such as negative numbers, infinity, Fermat's Last Theorem, the Poincaré conjecture and P v NP. Enlightening, thought-provoking and inspiring, these wide-ranging discussions make abstruse ideas accessible and demystify mathematics, showing how it shaped our world and made us who we are. Production credits Presented by Melvyn Bragg Produced by Simon Tillotson, Thomas Morris and Natalia Fernandez First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on the following dates: Part I: Context Mathematics 6 May 1999 Mathematics and Platonism 11 January 2001 Mathematics' Unintended Consequences 11 February 2010 Part II: History of Mathematics Indian Mathematics 14 December 2006 Euclid's Elements 28 April 2016 Maths in the Early Islamic World 16 February 2017 Renaissance Maths 2 June 2005 Calculus 24 September 2009 Part III: Influential Mathematicians Pythagoras 10 December 2009 Archimedes 25 January 2007 Blaise Pascal 19 September 2013 Emilie du Châtelet 4 February 2021 Carl Friedrich Gauss 30 November 2017 Ada Lovelace 6 March 2008 Emmy Noether 24 January 2019 Alan Turing 15 October 2020 Part IV: Key Concepts Zero 13 May 2004 Prime Numbers 12 January 2006 Negative Numbers 9 March 2006 e 25 September 2014 Pi 2 September 2004 Imaginary Numbers 23 September 2010 Infinity 23 October 2003 Part V: Problems and Puzzles Zeno's Paradoxes 22 September 2016 Fermat's Last Theorem 25 October 2012 The Poincaré Conjecture 2 November 2006 Gödel's Incompleteness Theorems 9 October 2008 P v NP 5 November 2015 © 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.