Maths EPQ ideas: history and philosophy of maths
Where ideas came from and what they mean. These work as maths EPQs only when every argument rests on worked mathematics.
Tip. Put real mathematics in every section, not just the story around it.
10 ideas
- Is maths discovered or invented?Is mathematics discovered or invented? Weighing Platonism against formalism
- Maths and the breaking of EnigmaHow much did mathematics contribute to breaking Enigma, compared with other factors?
- Newton or Leibniz?Newton or Leibniz: who deserves credit for calculus, and did the dispute hold British mathematics back?
- How zero became a numberWhy did it take so long for zero to be accepted as a number?
- What Gödel really provedWhat do Gödel's incompleteness theorems really show about the limits of mathematics?
- Ada Lovelace and Note GWas Ada Lovelace the first computer programmer? Evaluating her Note G
- The parallel postulate and new geometriesHow did doubts about Euclid's parallel postulate lead to new geometries, and are they 'true'?
- Ramanujan and mathematical intuitionHow did Ramanujan reach results without proofs, and what does his work say about intuition in mathematics?
- Why you cannot trisect an angleWhy could the ancient Greeks not trisect an angle with straight edge and compass, and how was it finally proved impossible?
- Florence Nightingale's statisticsHow did Florence Nightingale use statistics and diagrams to change policy, and would her diagrams pass today's standards?
Frequently asked questions
Is history and philosophy of maths a good area for a maths EPQ?
It can be, if you narrow it to one question you can answer with mathematics you understand and evidence you can find. Put real mathematics in every section, not just the story around it.
Can I use one of these titles as it is?
Use it as a starting point. Change the case, the data or the comparison until the title is your own, and agree it with your supervisor before you start.
Other areas: Pure · Modelling · Statistics · Economics and society · Computer science · Physics and engineering · Biology and medicine · Music, art and sport · Artefacts
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