History of Mathematics Archive

Research Policy Office
Friday 22 August 2014
James Gregory, first Reigus Professor of Mathematics at St Andrews

The MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive, created and maintained by researchers at the School of Mathematics, is arguably the most widely consulted mathematics information resource in the world and one of the most accessed scientific websites, with an average of two million hits per week.

Persian astrolabe, used for astronomy and navigation

The Archive includes detailed biographies of 2740 mathematicians and over 2000 other pages of essays and supporting material. It has helped to popularise mathematics and science to the public in the UK and internationally, as well as to inspire future scientists. The Archive is widely recognized as a major online educational resource, being widely used for university courses and high school teaching and projects, as well as being a source for popular scientific writers, lecturers and broadcasters. The development of the web Archive is a dynamic and on-going process. It is updated almost daily with additional biographies and other material added regularly and feedback and input from users and mathematicians contributing to its breadth and efficacy. This provides the impetus for further research and ensures that the vitality, utility and many other benefits of the Archive will continue into the future.

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