| 3500 - 3000 BC |
Primitive numerical systems appear
in Egypt, India, China and Mesopotamia. |
| 2400 |
Sumerians develop mathematics based on sexagesimal
system. |
| c. 1800 |
Earliest known mathematical tables are developed
by Babylonians (multiplication) |
| 1750 |
Egyptian Moscow papyrus is written. It includes
text on Egyptian system of geometry. |
| c. 1700 |
Babylonians make use of squares and square roots,
cubes and cube roots, and quadratic equations and have calculated approximate
value for pi by this time. |
| c. 1700 |
Egyptian Rhind papyrus is written. It contains
record of Egyptian ciphered numeral system and early mathematical table of
values of fractions. |
| c. 1350 |
Chinese incorporate decimals into their numerical
system. |
| c. 1000 |
Chinese develop counting boards, forefunner of
abacus. |
| 876 |
Earliest use of symbol for 0, in India. |
| c. 525 |
Greek mathematician Pythagoras (c. 582-507 B.C.)
founds Pythagorean schoool. Pythagoreans make important contributions to
mathematics. Pythagorean theorem of right triangles is popularly attributed
to them. |
| c. 400 |
Greek mathematician Eudoxus of Cnidus (c. 408-355
B.C.) develops geometric theory of irrational numbers. |
| 323 |
Greek mathematician Euclid (fl. fourth century
B.C.) completes his landmark work Elements on what is today known as Euclidean
geometry. He establishes such basic concepts in geometry as point and
line. |
| 287-212 |
Greek mathemetician Archimedes lives. He formulates
dispalcement principle and calculates pi. |
| c. 260 |
Roman numeral system, dominant number system in
West into medieval times, has reached advanced stage. Romans use it to to
represent numbers into millions. |
| c. 100 |
Chinese mathematicians use negative numbers. |
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