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PODCAST

The Mathematicians Podcast

Where we explore the historical figures that count. An in-depth look at the history of mathematics, in chronological order, looking at the people, the theories, the ideas - with as fewer gaps as possible. Each episode we focus in on a single character or contribution to the history of maths and explore why it is significant, and how it evolved.

science mathematics

All Episodes

19:14

Episode 45 - Simplicius - Keeping it Simplicius

The Mathematicians Podcast ·

2025/10/29

Welcome back to The Mathematicians Podcast! In this episode, host Benjamin Cornish takes us back to the 6th century CE to explore the life and legacy of Simplicius of Cilicia. A pivotal figure caught between two intellectual giants, Simplicius studied under both Aristotelian and Platonic traditions, becoming one of the last significant scholars of Plato's Academy before its closure by Justinian. Join us as we uncover Simplicius's crucial role as a pagan apologist, philosopher, astronomer, and

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53:17

Episode 44 - The Injectives with Hope Duncan - On...

The Mathematicians Podcast ·

2025/10/22

This week on The Mathematician's Podcast, we take a break from the philosophical and theological debates of the past to chat with an intellectual heavyweight of our own age! In another special "Injectives" episode, Ben is joined by Hope Duncan, a maths communicator and researcher at the University of Leeds whose particular interest is infinity. Join us as Hope tackles some fundamental (and some silly!) questions from Ben's school students, concepts like dividing by zero and the mass of the universe

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18:09

Episode 43 - John Philoponus - To infinity and stopping

The Mathematicians Podcast ·

2025/10/15

Welcome back to The Mathematicians Podcast! This episode introduces our first "John" – John Philoponus, also known as John the Grammarian or John of Alexandria. This Christian theologian, philosopher, and arguably mathematician from 6th-century Egypt is primarily known for his religious doctrine, but we look into the fascinating overlap between mathematics and religion: the nature of infinity. Join us as we explore Philoponus's arguments against the Aristotelian view of an eternal cosmos, his

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25:18

Episode 42 - Boethius - A Fork in the Road

The Mathematicians Podcast ·

2025/10/08

The Romans are here, in ROME! Discover the dramatic rise and fall of the Roman Empire, its lasting global impact, and the fascinating (and sometimes contentious) question of who inherited its crown. Then, meet Boethius, the last classical scholar, whose time on death row led to The Consolation of Philosophy. This episode unpacks his brilliant philosophy of causation, free will, and how god knows the future without pre-determining our choices. We'll explore Aristotle's Sea Battle paradox, Boethius's

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18:13

Episode 41 - Hypatia - Less than fairer

The Mathematicians Podcast ·

2025/10/01

This week we explore the brilliant, and tragically short, life of Hypatia of Alexandria. Born around 370 CE, she was a pioneering female mathematician and philosopher who led the last great school of mathematics in the ancient world. Hypatia’s story is also a dramatic tale of political and religious upheaval. A respected pagan intellectual with influence in Alexandria's civic life, she found herself caught in the violent conflicts of the early Christian church. Join us as we examine the forces that

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28:34

Episode 40 - Pappus of Alexandria - Burn the Bridges

The Mathematicians Podcast ·

2025/09/24

This week, Pappus of Alexandria, a pivotal figure in 4th-century mathematics. Often considered one of the last great Greco-Roman geometers, Pappus compiled the monumental Synagogue, a comprehensive collection that sought to revive classical Greek geometry. In this episode: A candid look at Pappus's personality and his notorious public critique of the female mathematician Pandrosion and her student. Pappus’s distinction between "plane," "solid," and the more expansive "linear" problems. Concepts like

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21:19

Episode 39 - Diophantus of Alexandria - A whole lot...

The Mathematicians Podcast ·

2025/09/17

This week, we're taking another trip to ancient Alexandria to meet Diophantus, often hailed as the "Father of Algebra." Join us as we untangle the fuzzy biography of a mathematician whose life story is a riddle, and whose monumental work, the Arithmetica, started us working towards systematic equation-solving. From the proto-symbols of syncopated algebra to the birth of Diophantine equations (where only whole numbers dare to tread!), we explore how this ancient Greek genius sought to generalize

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27:46

Episode 38 - Ptolemy - Beneath the Sheets

The Mathematicians Podcast ·

2025/09/10

Imagine writing a book so influential it becomes the undisputed authority on the nature of the universe for the next 14 centuries. Now, imagine its core premise is completely wrong. That's the legacy of Claudius Ptolemy. In this episode, we're exploring the ancient world's ultimate spreadsheet guy. Ptolemy didn't just guess that the Earth was the centre of the cosmos; he built a stunningly complex and predictive mathematical model to prove it; a system of circles-on-circles that could accurately

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17:15

Episode 37 - Theon of Smyrna - A Number for a Name

The Mathematicians Podcast ·

2025/09/03

Join Benjamin Cornish as he uncovers the story of Theon of Smyrna (c. 70 CE), the ancient world's ultimate study-guide writer! He wasn't a revolutionary, but Theon's "Mathematical Matters Useful for Reading Plato" was a game-changer for anyone trying to decipher the mathematical underpinnings of Plato's philosophy. In this episode, we explore: Theon's life and philosophical context as a Middle Platonist. His monumental work: a comprehensive guide to Pythagorean and Platonic arithmetic, music

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25:14

Episode 36 - Nicomachus of Gerasa - That which...

The Mathematicians Podcast ·

2025/08/27

In this episode of The Mathematicians Podcast, Benjamin Cornish explores the life and works of Nicomachus of Gerasa—a philosopher, mystic, and mathematician whose obsession with numbers shaped centuries of thought. From perfect and amicable numbers to cosmic harmonies and the mystical side of arithmetic, Nicomachus blended maths with philosophy, music, and spirituality in ways that still resonate today. We’ll look at how his Introduction to Arithmetic became the medieval go-to textbook, how his

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17:38

Episode 35 - Menelaus of Alexandria - The straightest...

The Mathematicians Podcast ·

2025/08/20

In this episode of The Mathematicians Podcast, Benjamin Cornish explores the life and work of Menelaus of Alexandria; the mathematician who transformed how we think about geometry on curved surfaces. From his treatise Sphaerica to the elegant power of Menelaus’s Theorem, discover how this quiet figure of ancient Alexandria helped shape spherical geometry, astronomy, and the trigonometry still used in navigation, GPS, and astronomy today. The music was: "Danse Macabre - Finale" Kevin MacLeod

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49:00

Episode 34 - Injectives with Dr Daffern - Religion...

The Mathematicians Podcast ·

2025/08/13

In this one-to-one edition of The Mathematicians Podcast, part of our Injectives subseries, host Benjamin Cornish sits down with philosopher, peace theorist, and long-time educator Dr Thomas Daffern to explore the deep and often surprising intersections between mathematics and religion. Together, they trace the parallel histories of mystical belief and mathematical thought, from the temples of ancient Egypt and the philosophies of Greece to the shifting theological landscapes leading up to the

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44:00

Episode 33 - Injectives with Dr Daffern - Religion...

The Mathematicians Podcast ·

2025/08/06

In this one-to-one edition of The Mathematicians Podcast, part of our Injectives subseries, host Benjamin Cornish sits down with philosopher, peace theorist, and long-time educator Dr Thomas Daffern to explore the deep and often surprising intersections between mathematics and religion. Together, they trace the parallel histories of mystical belief and mathematical thought, from the temples of ancient Egypt and the philosophies of Greece to the shifting theological landscapes leading up to the

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13:46

Episode 32 - Hero of Alexandria - A Hero to us all

The Mathematicians Podcast ·

2025/07/30

This week, Benjamin Cornish invites you to step into the steam-powered sandals of Hero of Alexandria—the ancient world’s most enthusiastic gadgeteer. Was he a mathematician? An engineer? A magician in a toga? Yes. Yes. And absolutely yes. From vending machines that accepted drachmas to the first recorded steam engine (that did absolutely nothing useful), Hero turned math into motion and geometry into gears. Join us as we unpack Hero’s life in the shadow of Archimedes, his flair for theatrical

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17:40

Episode 31 - Hipparchus - Going Supernova

The Mathematicians Podcast ·

2025/07/23

In this episode of The Mathematicians Podcast, Benjamin Cornish dives into the life and legacy of Hipparchus, the Greek thinker who gave us trigonometry, mapped the stars, and even invented tools to measure the heavens. From creating the first star catalog and predicting eclipses to introducing spherical projections and the chord table, Hipparchus wasn’t just stargazing, he was shaping the future of science. We’ll explore his inventions, his obsession with accuracy, and why Greenland is not as big

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21:59

Episode 30 - Dionysodorus of Amisus & Hypsicles of...

The Mathematicians Podcast ·

2025/07/16

This week on The Mathematicians Podcast, Benjamin Cornish presents a double bill of underappreciated thinkers from the back shelves of Greek geometry: Dionysodorus of Amisus and Hypsicles of Alexandria in an episode that's part mathematical history, part cubic conundrum, part "wait, he also did astronomy?" We begin with Dionysodorus, who solved the doubling of the cube problem the way most of us try to solve awkward social encounters: by introducing a few curves. Using a hyperbola and a parabola, he

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22:03

Perseus - In High Spirics

The Mathematicians Podcast ·

2025/07/09

This week on The Mathematicians Podcast, Benjamin Cornish reflects on a tragic bagel incident, files an HR complaint, and somehow ends up discussing the mathematics of toroidal cross-sections. Join us as we explore the life and work of Perseus the quietly brilliant 2nd-century BCE mathematician who gave us spiric sections. We slice through geometry, history, and a bit too much cream cheese, uncovering how one man's fascination with intersecting bagels helped shape the maths behind modern physics,

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24:27

Episode 28 - Apollonius of Perga - What Goes around...

The Mathematicians Podcast ·

2025/07/02

In this episode of The Mathematicians Podcast, Benjamin Cornish turns his attention to Apollonius of Perga—the ancient Greek mathematician whose work on conic sections shaped the way we understand curves, orbits, and even space travel. We explore Apollonius' life, his lesser-known contributions beyond geometry, and the deep mathematical ideas that earned him the nickname "The Great Geometer." From the invention of the terms ellipse, parabola, and hyperbola, to the legendary Apollonius Problem—a

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21:49

Episode 27 - Chrysippus - A Good Proposition

The Mathematicians Podcast ·

2025/06/25

What do ancient logic, Stoic philosophy, and paradoxes have in common? Chrysippus of Soli. In this episode, Ben Cornish explores how Chrysippus revolutionised logic and gave Stoicism its rational backbone. Discover his pioneering work in propositional logic, his take on fate and free will, and why his ideas still matter today. #MathematicalLogic #PropositionalLogic #StoicMathematics #Chrysippus #FormalLogic #HistoryOfMaths #AncientMathematics #LogicalReasoning #PhilosophyOfMaths #MathematicsPodcast

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18:14

Episode 26 - Eratosthenes - A Prime Example

The Mathematicians Podcast ·

2025/06/18

In this episode of The Mathematicians Podcast, host Benjamin Cornish paddles upstream—literally and figuratively—to explore the remarkable life and ideas of Eratosthenes of Cyrene, the polymath who measured the Earth with astonishing precision and devised one of the most famous algorithms in history: the Sieve of Eratosthenes. In the show today How Eratosthenes measured Earth’s circumference over 2,000 years ago The ingenious method behind the Sieve of Eratosthenes and why it still matters in

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45 results

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