Famous Mathematicians quiz

More questions about Famous Mathematicians

These visible examples show the question style. LearnClash turns the full topic into ranked duels and spaced repetition.

1. 1 Easy

   Who calculated the circumference of Earth using shadow angles in two Egyptian cities?

   Answer: Eratosthenes

   Why: His shadow calculation brought him within a few percent of Earth's true polar circumference.

2. 2 Medium

   Which number did Ramanujan call "very interesting" after Hardy arrived in a taxi?

   Answer: 1729

   Why: Hardy had called the cab number dull; it is 1³ + 12³ and also 9³ + 10³, a pair already noted by Frénicle de Bessy in 1657.

3. 3 Hard

   Which astronomer and mathematician successfully defended his mother against witchcraft charges?

   Answer: Johannes Kepler

   Why: The case ran six years: chained for 14 months, Katharina refused to confess even when shown the torture instruments, and was freed in autumn 1621.

4. 4 Easy

   What Persian scholar wrote the foundational textbook that gave algebra its name?

   Answer: Muhammad al-Khwarizmi

   Why: The word algorithm is also derived from the Latinized version of al-Khwarizmi's own name.

5. 5 Medium

   Who proved Fermat's Last Theorem after seven years of secret work?

   Answer: Andrew Wiles

   Why: His 1993 lecture proof had a hole that took another year to patch, and at 41 he was too old for a Fields Medal, so the IMU struck a silver plaque.

6. 6 Hard

   Which mathematician used amphetamines to work 19 hours a day for decades?

   Answer: Paul Erdős

   Why: He owned almost nothing, lived out of a suitcase in colleagues' spare rooms, and left about 1,525 papers with 511 co-authors.