IBM has released an iPad application, Minds of Modern Mathematics, which illustrates how mathematics has advanced art, science, music and architecture.
The application, which can be downloaded from the App Store, recreates the 50-foot-long timeline poster from IBM’s World Fair exhibit that traces hundreds of artifacts, milestones and giants of math from 1000 AD to 1960, the company said.
Users can browse through more than 500 biographies, milestones and images of artifacts collected from the original Mathematica exhibit as well as a high-resolution image of the original timeline poster.
The application also includes the "IBM Mathematics Peep Show," a series of playful, two-minute animated films that offer lessons on mathematical concepts, from exponents including the way ancient Greeks measured the earth to symmetry.
The company expects the application to be used in classroom settings and beyond to spur interest in education and careers around science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
IBM Analytics Research and Mathematical Sciences director Chid Apte said, "Careers of the future will rely heavily on creativity, critical thinking, problem solving and collaboration — all themes that were core to the ‘Minds of Modern Mathematics’ movement and remain equally relevant today."
