The Story of Maths
TV Show · Documentary · History

Co-produced by the BBC and presented by Oxford professor Marcus du Sautoy, this miniseries covers such subjects as the invention of zero and the Riemann hypothesis, the contributions of great mathematicians including Pythagoras, Plato and Euclid, and some of the biggest unsolved problems that confronted math scholars in the 20th century. Also, du Sautoy examines key mathematical ideas and their influence on today's science, technology and culture.

2009 · 57m
Starring Marcus du Sautoy

Season 1

  • EPISODE 1
    The Language of The Universe
    Marcus du Sautoy uncovers the use of a decimal system based on ten fingers of the hand and looks at the contributions of the great Greek mathematicians.
    50 min
  • EPISODE 2
    The Genius of the East
    Marcus du Sautoy looks at the rise of mathematics in the east, discovering how it helped build imperial China and finding out about the invention of algebra.
    57 min
  • EPISODE 3
    The Frontiers of Space
    Marcus du Sautoy investigates the ways in which Europe replaced the Middle East as the world's powerhouse of mathematical ideas by the 17th century.
    58 min
  • EPISODE 4
    To Infinity and Beyond
    Marcus du Sautoy concludes his look at the history of mathematics by examining the great unsolved problems that confronted mathematicians in the 20th century.
    58 min

Related

Cast & Crew

  • Marcus du Sautoy
    Host

About

The Story of Maths

Documentary

Co-produced by the BBC and presented by Oxford professor Marcus du Sautoy, this miniseries covers such subjects as the invention of zero and the Riemann hypothesis, the contributions of great mathematicians including Pythagoras, Plato and Euclid, and some of the biggest unsolved problems that confronted math scholars in the 20th century. Also, du Sautoy examines key mathematical ideas and their influence on today's science, technology and culture.

Information

Studio
DCD Rights
Released
2009
Rated
Caution
Region of Origin
United Kingdom
© 2008 Open University

Languages

Original Audio
English (United Kingdom), English
Subtitles

English (United States) (CC)

Accessibility

Closed captions refer to subtitles in available languages with the addition of relevant non-dialogue information.
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Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

  • Armenia
  • Azerbaijan
  • Bahrain
  • Botswana
  • Brunei Darussalam
  • Cape Verde
  • Egypt
  • Eswatini
  • Gambia
  • Ghana
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • India
  • Israel
  • Jordan
  • Lebanon
  • Mauritius
  • Mozambique
  • Namibia
  • Niger (English)
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