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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through The Extraordinary Sums of Leonhard Euler.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who was Neil's Abel?
(a) He proved that to solve a quartic equation, one must use more than algebra.
(b) He demonstrated the modern version of the Pythagorean Theorem.
(c) He demonstrated that Cardano's solution to the cubic was incorrect,
(d) He proved that quintic equations cannot be solved using algebra.

2. What did Plato use his inspiration from Euclid for?
(a) To construct his theory on the shape of the Universe.
(b) To create a new theorem of algebra.
(c) To classify geometric shapes by their complexity.
(d) To prove Euclid's number theory was incorrect.

3. Which mathematician was first to take the challenge to solve cubic equations?
(a) Niccolo Fontana.
(b) Scipione del Ferro.
(c) Luca Pacioli.
(d) Tartaglia.

4. Who asked Tartaglia for his solution to cubic equations?
(a) Fior,
(b) Fontana.
(c) Pacioli.
(d) Cardano.

5. Which of the following was true about Cardano, according to Dunham?
(a) He had three wives.
(b) He was a priest.
(c) He was jailed for heresy.
(d) He was not a mathematician.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why did Cardano take an oath to secrecy?

2. What is a "depressed cubic"?

3. Which of the following were an example of twin primes?

4. Who was Euler's teacher?

5. What hindered Euler's work as he grew older?

(see the answer key)

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