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Quizzes > Mathematics > Advanced Math

Quiz on Mathematicians: Test Your Knowledge!

Think you can ace our famous mathematicians trivia? Dive in and find out!

Difficulty: Moderate
2-5mins
Learning OutcomesCheat Sheet
Paper art quiz illustration on mathematicians with answers on a coral background

This quiz on mathematicians helps you recall who proved what and why they matter. Answer bite-size questions on Euclid, Euler, and more, then check the built-in answers to spot gaps and learn a quick fact or two. Want extra practice after you play? Try a quick practice quiz .

Which mathematician is known as the 'Prince of Mathematicians'?
Blaise Pascal
Leonhard Euler
Isaac Newton
Carl Friedrich Gauss
Carl Friedrich Gauss made fundamental contributions to number theory, algebra, statistics, differential geometry, geophysics, electrostatics, astronomy and optics, earning him the title 'Prince of Mathematicians'. His work 'Disquisitiones Arithmeticae' laid the foundations for modern number theory. Gauss’s influence spans many areas of mathematics and science.
Which mathematician independently developed calculus alongside Isaac Newton?
Leonhard Euler
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
Isaac Newton
René Descartes
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz developed the notation and formalism of differential and integral calculus concurrently with Newton, although their approaches differed. Leibniz introduced the integral sign ? and the 'd' notation for differentials. The Leibniz–Newton calculus controversy was settled in favor of both their contributions.
Who is considered the first female professional mathematician?
Hypatia of Alexandria
Émilie du Châtelet
Sofia Kovalevskaya
Ada Lovelace
Hypatia of Alexandria, living in the 4th and early 5th centuries, was a philosopher, astronomer, and mathematician, teaching and writing commentaries on mathematics and astronomy. She is widely regarded as the first woman to lead a major educational institution. Hypatia’s scholarly work influenced Neoplatonism and early mathematical thought.
Which ancient mathematician is famous for the proof that the angles of a triangle sum to 180 degrees in Euclidean geometry?
Pythagoras
Euclid
Thales
Archimedes
Euclid’s work 'Elements' provides axioms and propositions for plane geometry, including the proof that the internal angles of a triangle sum to two right angles (180 degrees) based on his parallel postulate. This theorem became a cornerstone of Euclidean geometry taught for centuries. Euclid’s systematic approach influenced all later developments in geometry.
Which French mathematician is credited as a founder of modern probability theory?
Blaise Pascal
Pierre de Fermat
Pierre-Simon Laplace
Siméon Denis Poisson
Blaise Pascal’s correspondence with Pierre de Fermat in 1654 laid the groundwork for modern probability theory, addressing problems in gambling and expected value. Pascal introduced key concepts such as probability measures and principles still used today. His work, together with Fermat’s, set the stage for later formalizations by Jakob Bernoulli and Pierre-Simon Laplace.
Which mathematician first formulated what became known as Fermat's Last Theorem?
Pierre de Fermat
Leonhard Euler
Blaise Pascal
David Hilbert
Pierre de Fermat wrote in the margin of a 17th-century copy of Diophantus that he had discovered a proof too large to fit in the margin, giving rise to Fermat’s Last Theorem. The conjecture states there are no three positive integers a, b, c satisfying a? + b? = c? for n > 2. It remained unproven until Andrew Wiles’s proof in 1994.
Who introduced the foundational concept of a mathematical group?
Augustin-Louis Cauchy
Carl Friedrich Gauss
Évariste Galois
Niels Henrik Abel
Évariste Galois developed group theory to study the solvability of polynomial equations by radicals and established the connection between field extensions and groups of automorphisms. His work laid the foundations of modern algebra and abstract group theory. Galois’s insights were only fully recognized posthumously.
Which mathematician provided the first rigorous definition of a limit, forming a basis for analysis?
Leonhard Euler
Isaac Newton
Bernhard Riemann
Augustin-Louis Cauchy
Augustin-Louis Cauchy introduced the epsilon-delta definition of limit in the early 19th century, providing rigor to calculus and analysis. His rigorous approach replaced earlier informal notions and became standard in mathematical proofs. Cauchy’s 'Cours d’Analyse' marked the start of modern real analysis.
Which mathematician formulated the famous Riemann Hypothesis?
Adrien-Marie Legendre
Carl Friedrich Gauss
Leonhard Euler
Bernhard Riemann
Bernhard Riemann proposed the Riemann Hypothesis in an 1859 paper on the distribution of prime numbers, conjecturing that all nontrivial zeros of the Riemann zeta function lie on the critical line. This hypothesis is one of the greatest unsolved problems in mathematics. Its truth has profound implications for number theory and the distribution of primes.
Who is regarded as one of the co-founders of non-Euclidean geometry?
Carl Friedrich Gauss
János Bolyai
Nikolai Lobachevsky
Euclid
Nikolai Lobachevsky developed a consistent form of hyperbolic geometry in which Euclid’s parallel postulate does not hold, publishing his work in the 1820s. Independently, János Bolyai also discovered similar results, but Lobachevsky’s publications were among the first to gain recognition. Non-Euclidean geometries revolutionized the understanding of space and paved the way for general relativity.
Which mathematician first proved the Prime Number Theorem in 1896?
Bernhard Riemann
Charles de la Vallée Poussin
Carl Friedrich Gauss
Jacques Hadamard
In 1896, Jacques Hadamard independently proved the Prime Number Theorem, showing that ?(x) ~ x / ln(x), where ?(x) counts primes up to x. Charles de la Vallée Poussin published a contemporaneous proof. Their work confirmed earlier conjectures by Gauss and Legendre about the distribution of primes. Hadamard utilized complex analysis and properties of the Riemann zeta function.
Who is credited with founding set theory and introducing the concept of different sizes of infinity?
David Hilbert
Georg Cantor
Bertrand Russell
Gottlob Frege
Georg Cantor developed set theory in the late 19th century, introducing the idea that infinite sets can have different cardinalities and proving that the real numbers are uncountable. He defined one-to-one correspondence between sets and constructed the continuum hypothesis. Cantor’s work revolutionized mathematics and faced significant opposition from contemporaries.
Which mathematician proved the incompleteness theorems showing that in any sufficiently powerful axiomatic system there are true statements that cannot be proven within the system?
Alonzo Church
Alan Turing
Kurt Gödel
John von Neumann
Kurt Gödel’s incompleteness theorems (1931) demonstrate that in any consistent formal system capable of expressing arithmetic, there exist statements that are true but unprovable within that system. He encoded statements about provability as arithmetic statements, overturning the hope of a complete and consistent set of axioms for all mathematics. Gödel’s results have profound implications for logic, computer science, and philosophy.
Who co-introduced category theory in 1945, a unifying language across mathematics?
Alexander Grothendieck
Saunders Mac Lane
Pierre Deligne
Samuel Eilenberg
Saunders Mac Lane and Samuel Eilenberg published the paper 'General Theory of Natural Equivalences' in 1945, founding category theory. This framework describes mathematical structures and relationships uniformly, impacting topology, algebra, and logic. Mac Lane’s work earned him wide recognition for establishing a powerful abstraction tool.
Which mathematician developed Lebesgue integration, revolutionizing the approach to measure and integration?
John von Neumann
Émile Borel
Henri Lebesgue
Henri Poincaré
Henri Lebesgue introduced a new integral in his 1902 thesis, allowing integration of a wider class of functions by focusing on measuring sets rather than approximating functions. Lebesgue integration extended Riemann integration and became central in real analysis, probability theory, and functional analysis. His work on measure theory provides the foundation for modern analysis.
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Study Outcomes

  1. Identify Iconic Mathematicians -

    Learn to recognize famous figures such as Euclid, Gauss, and Noether and their foundational roles in the development of mathematics.

  2. Understand Mathematical Breakthroughs -

    Discover the significance of landmark theorems and theories through concise questions that highlight each discovery's impact on the field.

  3. Recall Key Historical Facts -

    Strengthen your memory of important dates, events, and anecdotes in math history by engaging with targeted trivia and answers.

  4. Analyze Contributions and Influence -

    Examine how individual mathematicians shaped various branches of mathematics and continue to influence modern research and applications.

  5. Test and Reinforce Knowledge -

    Engage with a free math quiz online to assess your understanding and reinforce learning with immediate feedback and detailed explanations.

Cheat Sheet

  1. Euclid's Five Postulates -

    Euclid's Elements (circa 300 BCE) establishes five foundational rules of plane geometry, including the famous parallel postulate. A handy mnemonic is "parallel lines make same-side interior angles sum to 180°," which directly gives the triangle angle-sum theorem. (Source: MIT OpenCourseWare, Euclid's Elements lectures.)

  2. Fermat's Last Theorem -

    Pierre de Fermat asserted in 1637 that no three positive integers a, b, c satisfy a❿ + b❿ = c❿ for any integer n>2, a statement proven only in 1994 by Andrew Wiles. Remember "no more than two" to recall that solutions exist only for n=1 and n=2. (Source: Princeton University, Wiles's proof overview.)

  3. Gauss's Quadratic Reciprocity -

    In Disquisitiones Arithmeticae (1801), Carl Friedrich Gauss formulated the law of quadratic reciprocity: (p mod q)(q mod p)=(-1)^((p - 1)(q - 1)/4). A quick memory trick is "legendre's dance": swap primes and adjust the sign by counting quarter-turn exponents. (Source: Göttingen University archives.)

  4. Noether's Theorem -

    Emmy Noether showed in 1918 that every continuous symmetry of a physical system's action corresponds to a conservation law - e.g., time invariance → energy conservation. A simple phrase to remember is "symmetry begets conservation." (Source: Max Planck Institute for Mathematics.)

  5. Euler's Identity & Polyhedral Formula -

    Leonhard Euler's identity e^(iπ)+1=0 links five fundamental constants in one elegant equation, often called "the most beautiful formula in mathematics." He also proved V - E+F=2 for convex polyhedra, where V, E, and F are vertices, edges, and faces. (Source: Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Euler studies.)

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