Mathematics on Stamps

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Mathematics Acknowledged

According to Britannica Concise Encyclopedia, "Mathematics is the Science of structure, order, and relation that has evolved from counting, measuring, and describing the shapes of objects. It deals with logical reasoning and quantitative calculation. Since the 17th century it has been an indispensable adjunct to the physical sciences and technology, to the extent that it is considered the underlying language of science. Among the principal branches of mathematics are algebra, analysis, arithmetic, combinatorics, Euclidean and non-Euclidean geometries, game theory, number theory, numerical analysis, optimization, probability, set theory, statistics, topology, and trigonometry."

Over the years, nations around the world have recognised and celebrated in one way or another, the achievements in the world of Mathematics, Mathematicians and their work. One way of acknowledgment is through Postage stamps which are a colourful and attractive vehicle for presenting Mathematics and its development.

Jeff Miller Web Pages
Images of Mathematicians on Postage Stamps
Jeff Miller isa mathematics teacher at Gulf High School in New Port Richey, Florida. His site has high-quality scans of postage stamps from around the world picturing famous mathematicians.

Mathematicians on Stamps

Pythagoras (569 - 475 BC)



The four stamps depict Pythagoras, his famous theorem and the Island of Samos where he was born and spent his childhood. The stamps were issued in Greece in 1955.

What is a Mathematician

O*NET OnLine
The tasks Mathematicians perform, the tools and technology they use, what knowledge, skills and abilities they have, the education required to be a Mathematician and much more. This is a very interesting insite into a Mathematician's role.
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - US Department of Labor
All you need to know about what a Mathematician is.

Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543), Polish Mathematician



The first two stamps were issued by Poland in 1973, and the third one was issued by Hungary in 1973.



This stamp was issued by Germany in 1973 for the 500 years Anniversary.



This last stamp was issued by the USA in 1973 to honor Copernicus.

Mathematicians on Posters



Buy Posters at AllPosters.com

Archimedes of Syracuse (c.287 BC - c. 212 BC)





Archimedes was a Greek mathematician and regarded as the greatest mathematician of his age. He was also an astronomer, a physicist, an engineer and an inventor. Archimedes invented a wide variety of machines including pulleys and the well known Archimedes Screw pumping device. The first stamp depicting Archimedes and the Archimidean Screw was issued by Italy in 1983, and the middle stamp issued by Nicaragua in 1971 depicts a special case of Archimedes' 'Law of the Lever'.



The first stamp is one of a series of six stamps, "Old Masters Paintings." The painting entitled "Portrait of a Scholar" is by the Italian painter Domenico Fetti. The painting is located in the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister (Dresden, Germany). It was issued by the German Democratic Republic (the former East Germany), on November 13, 1973. The second stamp was issued by Greece in1983 and the third stamp was issued by San Marino in 1982.

The Introduction of the Metric System



The metric system was devised during the French Revolution (1789-1799) in order to standardise the different systems of measurement which were then being used. The metric system has standard units of measurement for problems involving length, area, volume, mass, temperature, electricity and time. Other units of measurement in the metric system are obtained by multiplying and dividing by powers of 10. Gradually the metric system has spread as a measure of length over the world with only the US remaining officially non-metric.


A very interesting article, Article Number 7: 'From Non-Metric to Metric: The Metrication on Stamps' by Volker F. Woesner can be found at Marginalia: Notes About Map Stamps.

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The Metric System in Australia

Australia converted to the metric system starting from 1965 when the Australian pharmaceuticals industry converted to the metric system. Until then Australia mostly used the imperial system inherited from the United Kingdom. In 1973, Australia issued the following set of 4 postage stamps to help publicise the metric conversion process. The SI units are now the sole legal units of measurement in Australia.






The Metric System Around the World

Stamps issued by Bangladesh in 1983.



The stamp on the left was issued by Romania in 1966 for the 100th Anniversary of the introduction of the metric system, and represents the seven base units of measurement surrounding the letters SI (from the French Système International D'unités).The stamp on the right was issued by New Zealand in 1976 to announce the conversion to the Metric System.



The stamp on the left was issued by the Netherlands in 1975 to commemorate the centennial of the Meter Convention. The stamp on the right was issued by Surinam in the same year, 1975 also to commemorate the centennial of the Meter Convention. These stamps and more of the same come from the A Philatelic Tribute to the SI by Daniel Rabinovich featured in The Chemistry International, Vol. 32 No. 6, November-December 2010.



This stamp is my favourite, it is so simple yet so descriptive. It was issued by Denmark in 2007 for the 100th Anniversary of the metric system in Denmark. This stamp is shared on MyPhilately.



For more of these great stamps on the metric system you can click on any of the images and it will take you to two different sites that have a great collection of stamps.

More Mathematics on Stamps








you can see more of these beautiful Mathematics stamps at scientific-web.com.

Prediction

sorana predicts:

I predict that not many people are aware that there are so many stamps on Mathematics.

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I Greatly Appreciate Your Comments


I enjoy leaving comments on other lenses because I know how much I appreciate comments from my visitors. I always look forward to reading them.

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  • ketulpatel2385 May 17, 2012 @ 8:37 am | delete
    very interesting topic. loved reading this. hope you shall enjoy my lense on vedic maths as well! just hit you with a squid like, keep it up
  • bechand Jan 21, 2012 @ 3:44 pm | delete
    I did not know about all those stamps ... cool
  • stevearun Jul 15, 2011 @ 12:24 am | delete
    Love your lens, It's absolutely a unique writeup. I never had any idea about so many stamps on mathematics. Fantastic resource, added to my bookmarks.
  • efriedman Jul 3, 2011 @ 2:05 am | delete
    Stamps can be very interesting and attractive, especially the older style engraved ones. I did not know there are so many featuring mathematics or mathematicians. Nice lens, well done.
  • ChrisDay May 22, 2011 @ 11:48 pm | delete
    Stamps have always fascinated me.
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Mathematics on Flickr Photos

3D anamorphosis by fdecomite
3D anamorphosis by fdecomite
Child Counting Handful of Pebbles by Pink Poppy Photography
March Madness by brewbooks
Treehorn Books by brewbooks
Science section at Treehorn Books by brewbooks
The Remarkable Interaction of Mathematics and the Computer by Mathematical Association of America
Field Guide to Math on the National Mall by Mathematical Association of America
Prototyping our guerrilla campaign for mathbrain.com.au by sHzaam!
Pi Day2012_0474 by westconn
automatically generated by Flickr

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by

sorana

18 January 2012 more »

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