From Papyrus to AI: A Historical Perspective on Tools in Mathematics
Maths Education Seminar
22nd October 2025, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Fry Building, G.07
Mathematical tools are not only those that are abstract such as concepts and procedures, but also those that have bearing on how mathematics is written, distributed, and used. This talk will explore the historical dimension on how new tools, when introduced in the practice of mathematics, had profound influence on the ways mathematics was done, created, shared, and understood.
The talk is focusing on the mathematical sciences, with parallels to other disciplines in sciences and humanities, including history. I will examine three key episodes: the introduction of papyrus in the antiquity, the use of printing press during the Renaissance, and the introduction of digital tools in the 20th century. These moments illustrate how technologies do more than streamline practice - and we will examine both the possibilities and challenges such moments bring to the creation of new knowledge and the dissemination of the old, in mathematical sciences.
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