A História da Matemática

The history of mathematics from ancient times to the present day. Narrated by Oxford mathematics professor Marcus du Sautoy, the series covers the seminal moments and people in the development of maths.

Well-made series about an incredibly interesting subject (well, to me at least). Shows the major leaps forward in great detail, and with explanations that you don't need a Ph.D to understand (though a decent degree of mathematical knowledge is required). Enthusiastically and intelligently narrated by Marcus du Sautoy, with backdrops that include the streets and rooms that the great mathematicians once walked down and inhabited.

Not perfect though. It started very well, with the small steps in Ancient Egypt, Babylon, India and the like that established our basic number system. Showed just the low base we were starting from in our knowledge of numbers and maths.

However, as it progressed, the jumps between events and people became less obvious and continuous. A more comprehensive history was required, covering the steps in between the events shown, plus wider mathematical theories and applications. It would have been good if some of the offshoots of maths - physics, astronomy, statistics, engineering, say, were covered. I would not have minded double or even triple the number of episodes.

Really enjoyed the series BUT Amir Alexander's BOOK Infinitesimal starts around Tartaglia where this series seems to stop and then takes right back up AFTER the creation of the Royal Society of London. There's a huge gap in the time-line. For 300 years there was no new math? What about the worlds Holier Than Thou treatment of Euclid geometry by certain institutions and how that cultural imperative stunted the growth of humanity in as much as off setting the industrial revolution by 100 years??? The effects of our treatment of Math, our understanding of understanding, has shaped our world more closely than we may be happy to admit.

This is one of amazing docs I have come across. I would encourage people to watch it rather than watching stupid Hollywood movies.