Great Mathematicians · Foundations
Euclid
Euclid's Elements, the most influential math textbook ever: definitions, postulates and proofs; the parallel postulate and the birth of non-Euclidean geometry; the infinitude of primes; and the Euclidean algorithm that still runs in every computer.
Step 1 of 6 · Overview30 min read ·
Key idea
Prereqs: Shapes, area & volume. Next: Al-Khwarizmi; Descartes' coordinates. Sources: Euclid, *Elements* (c. 300 BC; Heath translation); David Joyce's online Elements (Clark University); Ben Syversen & 3Blue1Brown, 'What was Euclid really doing?'.Next: 1. The Elements