Writing Guide – Biographies
This is a collection biographies of mathematicians — not necessarily famous ones — written by our community to bring a bit of the history behind what you might have studied in a classroom and beyond.
If you are interested in writing a biography, we recommend you read this page in full.
The process of writing a biography, from beginning research to finishing writing, should take 2-4 hours.
Summary
We at Maths Society believe that knowing the people and the history behind something can be just as important, inspirational and interesting as knowing the something. Our biographies aim to put faces and lives behind what we study in mathematics, telling the interesting stories of the people who have built mathematics.
Biographies should be written as a narrative, from the beginning to the end of the subject’s life, aiming to tell an interesting, relatable and empathetic story.
Our biographies not only focus on famous mathematicians, but those of all, eras, countries, and levels of fame.
Subject
For the subject of your biography, you may choose any mathematician that interests you or one of the figures from the suggestion lists below. Maths Society biographies should feature people who are predominantly or widely known for their contribution to mathematics.
| Classical mathematicians | Famous mathematicians | Lesser-known mathematicians | Specifically female mathematicians | Present-day mathematicians |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pythagoras | Bernhard Riemann | Évariste Galois | Maryam Mirzakhani | Andrew Wiles |
| Euclid | Isaac Newton | David Blackwell | Emmy Noether | Hannah Fry |
| Hypatia | John von Neumann | John Edensor Littlewood | Katherine Johnson | Marcus du Sautoy |
| Ptolemy | Dorothy Johnson Vaughan | Emily Riehl | ||
| Aristotle | Sofya Kowalevski | |||
| Thales of Miletus | Ada Lovelace | |||
| Diophantus | Florence Nightingale | |||
| Erastosthenes | Sophie Germain | |||
| Hipparchus | Want Zhenyi | |||
| Hero of Alexandria | Sutayta Al-Mahãmali | |||
| Xenocrates | Theano | |||
| Anaxagoras | Julia Robinson | |||
| Antiphon | Karen Uhlenbeck | |||
| Diocles | Grace Murray | |||
| Brahmagupta | Olga Taussky-Todd | |||
| Aryabhatta | Mary Cartwright | |||
| Euphemia Hayes | ||||
| Mileva Maric | ||||
| Christine Ladd-Franklin | ||||
| Mary Somerville | ||||
| Laura Bassi | ||||
| Émilie du Châtelet |
Structure
Introduction
40-50 words (to be included in excerpt)
A snappy introduction introducing the relevance and importance of the mathematician being studied and their greatest or most well-known accomplishment. The introduction should begin with the full name and year dates of the mathematician and a nickname (e.g. Author of Arithmetic) for them based on their achievements.
Main Body
500-800 words (depending on how much is known about the mathematician)
Told chronologically, beginning with the mathematician’s early life, moving onto their career and later years. Elements like their personal life and achievements should be interwoven into the story instead of being told as separate segments. Their exact date and place of birth and death should be included.
Conclusion and legacy
150 words
Two or three paragraphs about the accolades, lasting impression and legacy of the mathematician, and a message the reader can take away from the story of their life.
Writing
Good biographies:
- Tell an interesting, relatable and empathetic story that is entertaining to read
- Refer to the mathematician by their surname from the end of the introduction
- Are written in the third person
- Give brief explanations of the contributions of the mathematician but focus more on the person than their work (Articles elsewhere on Maths Society may be able to explain further)
- Have opportunities to use images and quotations from the mathematician
- Have opportunities to link to other articles and features on the Maths Society website
- Have good use of different levels of headings and paragraphs to make the article more engaging to read
Really good biographies use primary research and include original information, however we recognise that this is difficult or impossible for long-dead or famous mathematicians.
References and Accuracy
- All statements, assertions and formulae should be thoroughly checked to be accurate
- A list of sources is not necessary but may improve the chance of an article being published
Please note that we advise against extensive use of AI chatbots in the writing of articles. There are many reputable sources and resources both online and in print for your research.
If after reading this guide you still have any questions, or want to get in touch with suggestions to improve this guide, please contact us.