I would like you, the reader of this article, to reflect on the achievements of women in mathematics. We read about men such as Euler and Gauss, but not as much about the women and their contributions to mathematics. In the near future, we may not hear of any one mathematician and their achievements as the world of mathematics is changing.
“With each passing year, there is a lot more math to know. To make progress, mathematicians need to be familiar with a staggering amount of material, often in very different fields. That might involve not just building bridges between one area of math and another, but also gaining insights from computer science, physics and other subjects. It’s more than any one person can get their head around.” [1]
Nevertheless, understanding the people who have shaped, and are advancing, mathematics provides a better appreciation and understanding of the subject.
Historical Women
The contributions of women in mathematics are vast and diverse, spanning various fields and disciplines. Women mathematicians have made groundbreaking discoveries, developed innovative theories, and advanced the understanding of mathematical concepts.
Their contributions have extended to areas such as number theory, algebra, geometry, mathematical physics, computer science, and more. They have published influential research papers, authored textbooks, mentored aspiring mathematicians, and served as role models for future generations.
However, it is important to acknowledge that throughout history, women in mathematics have often faced significant barriers and discrimination. They have encountered limited access to education and professional opportunities, bias in hiring and promotion, and societal expectations that discouraged their participation in mathematics.
Despite these challenges, women mathematicians have persevered and made remarkable contributions to the field. Their achievements have paved the way for greater gender equality in mathematics and have highlighted the importance of diversity in scientific research.
To truly do justice to the contributions of women in mathematics, it is essential to delve into their individual achievements, explore their specific research contributions, and recognize the unique perspectives they bring to the field. Their stories deserve to be shared and celebrated to inspire future generations of mathematicians and to foster an inclusive and equitable mathematical community.
I encourage you to explore the work of individual women mathematicians and learn more about their remarkable contributions to the field. Here are some notable women in mathematics:
- Hypatia of Alexandria
- Emmy Noether
- Sofia Kovalevskaya
- Maryam Mirzakhani
- Ada Lovelace
- Hilda Geiringer
- Katherine Johnson
- Julia Robinson
These are just a few examples of the many women who have made significant contributions to mathematics. Over the years, efforts have been made to encourage and support women in the field, but gender disparities still exist. It is important to continue promoting inclusivity and diversity in mathematics to ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to contribute and excel.
Modern Women
History is not just about the past, but also the present. Sometimes we refer to present events as current events, but these are merely history unfolding before our eyes. [2] Even though not all female mathematicians do ground breaking work in mathematics, some are working to make mathematics easier to understand [3], some make mathematics fun, and some are teaching the next generation.
Math is Fun!
Here are two female mathematicians on Medium who challenge me to be better at math while making math fun.
Bella Lockhart – Your graceful mathematician. I study math in college and have been writing for a while now. I hope you enjoy my writing and puzzles.
Shelvia – Researcher in Information Theory and Trustworthy AI. Addicted to puzzles and brain teasers. Interested in particle physics and neuroscience.
Math Teachers
Math teachers are instrumental in shaping students’ mathematical abilities, attitudes, and overall educational experiences. They guide students through the intricacies of mathematics, foster critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and inspire a lifelong appreciation for the subject. Their impact extends beyond the classroom, equipping students with essential skills necessary for success in various academic and professional endeavors.
WHAT TEACHERS MAKE [4]
The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life. One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He argued: “What’s a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?”
He reminded the other dinner guests that it’s true what they say about teachers: “Those who can…do. Those who can’t … teach.”
To corroborate, he said to another guest: “You’re a teacher, Susan,” he said. “Be honest. What do you make?”
Susan, who had a reputation of honesty and frankness, replied, “You want to know what I make?”
I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could. I can make a C+ feel like a Congressional Medal of Honor and an A- feel like a slap in the face if the student did not do his or her very best.”
“I can make kids sit through 40 minutes of study hall in absolute silence.”
“I can make parents tremble in fear when I call home”
“You want to know what I make?”
“I make kids wonder.”
“I make them question.”
“I make them criticize.”
“I make them apologize and mean it.”
“I make them write.”
“I make them read, read, read.”
“I make them spell definitely beautiful, definitely beautiful, and definitely beautiful over and over and over again, until they will never misspell either one of those words again.”
“I make them show all their work in math and hide it all on their final drafts in English.”
“I make them understand that if you have the brains, then follow your heart…and if someone ever tries to judge you by what you make, you pay them no attention!”
“You want to know what I make?”
“I make a difference.”
“And you? What do you make?”
References
[1] “Collaboration Is Changing Math for the Better.” 2024. Marketing, Automation & Email Platform. Accessed May 15. https://mailchi.mp/simonsfoundation/why-classical-computers-can-still-win-quantum-contests-2492262?e=d48c9a393a.
[2] Cepelewicz, Jordana, and substantive Quanta Magazine moderates comments to facilitate an informed. 2024. “Strangely Curved Shapes Break 50-Year-Old Geometry Conjecture.” Quanta Magazine. May 14. https://www.quantamagazine.org/strangely-curved-shapes-break-50-year-old-geometry-conjecture-20240514/.
[3] Boaler, Jo. MATH-ish. 1st ed. HarperCollins Publishers, New York, 2024.
Mathematics is a fundamental part of life, yet every one of us has a unique relationship with learning and understanding the subject. Working with numbers may inspire confidence in our abilities or provoke anxiety and trepidation. Stanford researcher, mathematics education professor, and the leading expert on math learning Dr. Jo Boaler argues that our differences are the key to unlocking our greatest mathematics potential.
In Math-ish, Boaler shares new neuroscientific research on how embracing the concept of “math-ish”—a theory of mathematics as it exists in the real world—changes the way we think about mathematics, data, and ourselves. When we can see the value of diversity among people and multi-faceted approaches to learning math, we are free to truly flourish.
When mathematics is approached more broadly, inclusively, and with a greater sense of wonder and play—when we value the different ways people see, approach, and understand it—we empower ourselves and gain a beneficial understanding of its value in our lives.
[4] Mali, Taylor. 2024. What Teachers Make. Accessed May 15. https://teachmath.net/WhatTeachersMake.html.
Additional Reading
“Female Mathematicians – Biographies.” 2024. Maths History. Accessed June 16. https://mathshistory.st-andrews.ac.uk/Biographies/category-women/.
“List of Women in Mathematics.” 2024. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. May 4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_women_in_mathematics.
This is a list of women who have made noteworthy contributions to or achievements in mathematics. These include mathematical research, mathematics education, the history and philosophy of mathematics, public outreach, and mathematics contests.
Persico, Anthony. 2024. “11 Famous Women Mathematicians and Their Incredible Contributions!” Mashup Math. Mashup Math. February 28. https://www.mashupmath.com/blog/famous-women-mathematicians.
Why is it important for students to learn about female mathematicians? Because the History of Mathematics is overly focused on the contributions of a small group of male mathematicians like Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, and Euclid, while often ignoring the diverse contributions of women and minorities
“Women Mathematicians Alphabetical Index”. 2022. mathwomen.agnesscott.org. https://mathwomen.agnesscott.org/women/alpha.htm.
Writer, Golden. 2024. “Trailblazers in Mathematics: Women Who Shaped the Field.” Medium. ILLUMINATION. October 31. https://medium.com/illumination/trailblazers-in-mathematics-women-who-shaped-the-field-b48e25c941a4.
Mathematics, often called the language of the universe, has been enriched by the insights of women throughout history, many of whom overcame significant barriers to make lasting contributions. This article highlights some of these remarkable women, each of whom defied conventions and transformed mathematics with their brilliance and determination.
Videos
Jo Boaler tells about the challenges she faced as a researcher and mathematician being a woman, and how facing these challenges was made easier by writing about these issues openly.
Maria Chudnovsky is a professor in the department of mathematics at Princeton University. She grew up in Russia and Israel, studying at the Technion and received her Ph.D. in 2003 from Princeton under the supervision of Paul Seymour. She moved to Columbia after being a Clay Mathematics Institute research fellow and assistant professor at Princeton. Chudnovsky’s contributions to graph theory include the proof of the strong perfect graph theorem with Robertson, Seymour and Thomas characterizing perfect graphs as being exactly the graphs with no odd induced cycles of length at least 5 or their complements. Other research contributions of Chudnovsky include co-authorship of the first polynomial time algorithm for recognizing perfect graphs and of a structural characterization of the claw-free graphs.
This video is the ranking of top 10 greatest women mathematicians in pure math. We have adjusted this ranking based on the consequent of the importance and influence of these mathematicians. As you know there are so many great women mathematicians but we have just mentioned top 10.
“Fast, Helpful AI Chat.” 2024. Poe. Assistant. Accessed April 27. https://poe.com/.
I used AI bots in this article to capture ideas that I could not develop on my own without more extensive research. I recall back in the 1990s attending presentations at conferences where the presenter was using crawler bots to gather information for their research. I am still experimenting with AI bots, and will continue to use them as needed to present ideas and concepts more clearly to the reader.
Mathematical Mysteries 