PBS’ Two Cents: How Money Created Math
June 2023
Our Program Director, Naiomi Israel, joined PBS’ Two Cents team to share the interwoven history of finance and math. A common complaint that math teachers hear is, “When am I going to need this in the real world?” When students sit in algebra class, it’s easy for them to feel like it’s all theoretical–a bunch of imaginary numbers and rules dreamed up by philosophers trying to prove to each other how smart they were. However, the origins of math are deeply practical and often financial. So how did Money create Math?