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Science Stories

Factual: Science & Nature

Surprising stories from the history of science told by Naomi Alderman and Philip Ball.

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Science Stories: Series 7

Science Stories: Hypatia: The Murdered Mathematician

The Engine That Nearly Ran Out of Steam

04/07/2018

Hypatia: The Murdered Mathematician

BBC Radio 4 - Science Stories, Hypatia: The Murdered Mathematician

Naomi Alderman's story is of Hypatia - the mathematician murdered by a mob in Alexandria.

Series looking at events and characters from science history. Naomi Alderman's story is of Hypatia - the mathematician murdered by a mob in Alexandria.

Naomi Alderman's tale is a murder mystery, the story of Hypatia, the mathematician murdered by a mob in the learned city of Alexandria, around the year 415 CE. Hypatia was a communicator of science, tackling difficult maths and teaching it to her students. This was incredibly important work. It was enough, at the time, to make her Alexandria's pre-eminent mathematician, and probably therefore the leading mathematician in the world. 

And there's historical evidence that Hypatia made some discoveries and innovations of her own. She invented a new and more efficient method of long division. In a time before electronic calculators, the actual business of doing sums was an arduous part of engineering or astronomy, and any improvement in efficiency was very welcome. 

All quite innocent science, so why did Hypatia end up being murdered by a mob? Natalie Haynes presenter of "Natalie Haynes Stands Up For The Classics" tells the inside story to Naomi Alderman. And Professor Edith Hall discusses Hypatia's legacy.

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