A Movie Review on The Story of Maths: The Frontiers of Space
From Greece to Middle East to Europe. I think I won’t stop
loving this series until it stops travelling geographically around the world and
virtually into the history of mathematics.
I don’t like math much, but because I extremely like both
history and Europe, the movie was a pleasure for me. Sitting in class watching episodes of The
Story of Maths is one the most fun and interesting things we have ever done in
the class. Travelling without ever having to move an inch and meeting geniuses
you would never have a chance to get to know (or will never bother to). Which brings me to heart of the topic of the
third installment of the series The Story
of Maths: The Frontiers of Space: description of objects in motion.
On the 17th century, Europe became the world’s
greatest thinking machine with regards to mathematical concepts, ideas and
arguments. Great thinkers have made themselves unforgettable by cementing their
identities with ideas that seems to show the truth of natural phenomenon and
the nature of numbers.
Europe cannot get any grandiose than this; not only a place
of breath taking architecture and culture but also being a home to the
beautiful minds of people who individually contributed illustrious concepts on
the realm of mathematics; the likes of René Descartes, Pierre Fermat,
Leonard Euler, Carl Friedrich Gauss and who can forget about Isaac Newton?
Really, who can forget about Newton and his calculus and physics?
A few perhaps. And who can remember Gottfried Wilhelm Liebniz and his
mathematics? A few, maybe. Both were passionate in thinking and finding
solutions to problems that has puzzled their community during their times but
both efforts were not equally reciprocated. Isaac having the most of what
could be given of the reward for the contribution while Liebniz the least of
what was left.
This, among the other historical data in the movie, has
struck me the most. Because even when their names kept on resounding after
their deaths, I kept on wondering who among these men had a life fulfilled with
the values they cherished. Just like how Albert Einstein put it, being a man of
value is still more important than being a man of success.
This film about mathematics, the people who popularize it
and their brilliant ideas that changed the world, was good and witty. Even when
at times I get irritated at the pop-up atheistic views of the presenter it is still
a documentary I recommend which is truly worth watching for the information (at
times wisdom) which we could gain. Plus, Europe, as featured, is ever
beautiful.
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