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 GuardianIn 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 Poincare 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 creditsPresented by Melvyn BraggProduced by Simon Tillotson, Thomas Morris and Natalia FernandezFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on the following dates:Part I: ContextMathematics 6 May 1999Mathematics and Platonism 11 January 2001Mathematics' Unintended Consequences 11 February 2010Part II: History of MathematicsIndian Mathematics 14 December 2006Euclid's Elements 28 April 2016Maths in the Early Islamic World 16 February 2017Renaissance Maths 2 June 2005Calculus 24 September 2009Part III: Influential MathematiciansPythagoras 10 December 2009Archimedes 25 January 2007Blaise Pascal 19 September 2013Emilie du Chatelet 4 February 2021Carl Friedrich Gauss 30 November 2017Ada Lovelace 6 March 2008Emmy Noether 24 January 2019Alan Turing 15 October 2020Part IV: Key ConceptsZero 13 May 2004Prime Numbers 12 January 2006Negative Numbers 9 March 2006e 25 September 2014Pi 2 September 2004Imaginary Numbers 23 September 2010Infinity 23 October 2003Part V: Problems and PuzzlesZeno's Paradoxes 22 September 2016Fermat's Last Theorem 25 October 2012The Poincare Conjecture 2 November 2006Godel's Incompleteness Theorems 9 October 2008P v NP 5 November 2015(c) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.