The number e, like the number pi, is a useful mathematical constant that is the basis of the system of natural logarithms. Its value correct to nine places is 2.718281828... The number e is used in complex equations to describe a process o...

Edmund Gunter was responsible for introducing the words cosine and cotangent to the world as well as producing a seven figure table of logarithms of sines and tangents. Gunter also manufactured and used a precursor of the slide rule, calle...

Edmund Landau profoundly influenced the development of number theory. His primary research focused on analytic number theory, especially the distribution of prime numbers and prime ideals. An extremely productive author of at least 250 pub...

Heinrich Eduard Heine was one of the most productive mathematical writers in 19th century Germany, having published approximately 50 papers on a wide range of topics. His most notable achievements in mathematics were the formulation of the...

Often compared to Albert Einstein for the originality of his work, Edward Witten is a mathematical physicist whose primary field of research is string theory (introduced by physicist Gabriele Veneziano in 1968). His efforts to develop stri...

One of the four known basic forces in the universe. Electromagnetism is responsible for interactions between charged particles that occur because of their charge, and for the emission and absorption of photons (electromagnetic radiation). ...

Differentiation of algebraic functions works by one of the simplest rules in calculus. Each component of the algebraic function is differentiated separately, and then the differentials are added together. If the components of the algebraic...

Emmy Noether (1882-1935) was a world-renowned mathematician whose innovative approach to modern abstract algebra inspired colleagues and students who emulated her technique. Dismissed from her university position at the beginning of the Na...

Statement of equality between two expressions consisting of variables and/or numbers. In essence, equations are questions, and the development of mathematics has been driven by attempts to find answers to those questions in a systematic wa...

in logic and mathematics, the formation of a proposition from two others which are linked by the phrase “if, and only if.” The equivalence formed from two propositions p and q also may be defined by the statement “p is a ...

Erik Ivar Fredholm developed the modern theory of integral equations. His work served as the foundation for later critical research performed by David Hilbert, and several concepts and theorems are attributed to him. Fredholm was born on A...

The British physicist Ernest Rutherford, 1st Baron Rutherford of Nelson (1871-1937), discovered transmutation of the elements, the nuclear atom, and a host of other phenomena to become the most prominent experimental physicist of his time....

Renowned for the clarity and comprehensibility of his textbooks, Ernst Leonard Lindelöf distinguished himself as a mathematician with his research on and function theory. His work became the basis for the study of mathematics history ...

Throughout human history the use and understanding of mathematics has been so closely related with the rise of cultures that it would not be unreasonable to say that mathematics is actually one of the prerequisites of culture. Nearly all o...

Euclid's algorithm is a technique used to find the greatest common divisor of two numbers. The greatest common divisor of two numbers is the greatest number that is a divisor or factor, a number that divides another number, of those two nu...

Study of points, lines, angles, surfaces, and solids based on Euclid's axioms. Its importance lies less in its results than in the systematic method Euclid used to develop and present them. This axiomatic method has been the model for many...

Study of points, lines, angles, surfaces, and solids based on Euclid's axioms. Its importance lies less in its results than in the systematic method Euclid used to develop and present them. This axiomatic method has been the model for many...

The Euler characteristic is a number that can be associated to a polyhedron that gives an indication of its topological qualities (qualities of an object that don't change when the object is stretched or distorted, without tearing). The ch...

The Euler-Lagrange equation is a fundamental equation of the calculus of variations that is used to determine if a function has a stationary value. In physical terms a stationary value corresponds to a minimum or maximum of a function. The...

The term "existence" is a good example of how something familiar can take on a slightly different technical meaning in a mathematical context. If a book exists, for example, it has been written, and usually published. There is a physical m...

In mathematics, a function in which a constant base is raised to a variable power. Exponential functions are used to model changes in population size, in the spread of diseases, and in the growth of investments. They can also accurately pr...

In mathematics, a function in which a constant base is raised to a variable power. Exponential functions are used to model changes in population size, in the spread of diseases, and in the growth of investments. They can also accurately pr...