Name_____________________________
Due date: December 14, 2009
6th Grade Research Paper
Famous Mathematician/Scientist
Introduction: You will be researching the life and times of a famous mathematician or
scientist and writing about his/her life.
1) Choose a mathematician or scientist:
Neils Abel
Maria Agnesi
Archimedes
Benjamin Banneker
Charles Babbage
Girolamao Cardano
Nicolaus Copernicus
Jacques Cousteau
René Descartes
Thomas Edison
Euclid of Alexandria
Leonhard Euler
Pierre de Fermat
Leonardo Pisano Fibonacci
Galileo Galilei
Evariste Galois
Friedrich Gauss
Jane Goodall
Sophie Germain
Grace Murray Hopper
Hypatia of Alexandria
Johannes Kepler
Omar Khayyam
Sonya Kovalevsky
Louis Lagrange
Ada Lovelace
John Napier
Sir Isaac Newton
Florence Nightingale
Blaise Pascal
George Polya
Ptolemy (Claudius
Ptolemaeus)
Pythagoras of Samos
Mary Somerville
Srinivasa Ramanujan
Thales of Miletus
Dr. Daniel Hale Williams
Orville & Wilber Wright
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO DO YOUR PAPER ON SOMEONE THAT IS
NOT ON THIS LIST, PLEASE SEE YOUR TEACHER FOR APPROVAL FIRST.
Personal Note:
I hope this assignment will provide you with some insight into the lives of the people who have
helped create the study of mathematics and the sciences. In turn, they helped shape the
world in which we live. Many of the people on the list were ordinary people who made
extraordinary observations. Much of what you are learning or will learn in mathematics is based
upon the research and discoveries made by the people on the list. Some of the basic
knowledge you now take for granted as common knowledge was at some point in time
unknown or undiscovered. Remember, before these people's lives, the earth was flat, the earth
was the center of the universe, and there was no such thing as formal geometry or calculus.
How will the world be different because of your life?
2) Complete the form below:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My name is__________________________________________________________
The Mathematician/Scientist I have chosen is:
_____________________________________________________________________
Parent Signature_____________________________________________________
Paragraph Information Page—(What should be in your paragraphs)
Introduction
1. Interest Catcher
2. Thesis Statement
3. Overview of what the paper will be about
1st Body Paragraph – As a person, what was your mathematician or scientist like?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
When was s/he born?
Where did s/he grow up (City, State, and Country)?
What was his/her life like growing up?
Was s/he married? Did s/he have kids?
What was his/her family life like?
Hobbies/special interests?
When and how did they die?
2nd Body Paragraph – What was your person’s area of expertise?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
What kind of schooling/education did s/he have?
What was s/he an expert in? Explain.
Who were his/her mentors?
What is considered to be his/her greatest discovery or invention?
How did s/he discover or invent it?
Describe the discovery or invention. Show proof if it exists—Give the formula
or an illustration.
7. Did s/he face any challenges along the way?
8. Did s/he have people that supported them? Why or Why not? Did having
(or not having) support make a difference?
3rd Body Paragraph – What was the impact of your person on the world?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
How did other people feel about his/her invention?
What were his/her major awards, honors?
Did his/her life change because of his/her discovery? Why or why not?
Did the world change because of his/her discovery? Why or why not?
Interesting facts
Conclusion
1. Topic Sentence
2. Restate Thesis
3. Overview of what was written
4. Concluding Statement/Question
Your paper will also have:
COVER PAGE:
1. Your person’s name
2. A picture of your person and/or their invention
3. A quote from and/or about your person
4. Your full name and classroom number
5. Due date
6. Parent Signature (Parent must read final draft first.)
MAP:
On a separate sheet of paper, include a map of your mathematician/scientist’s
Homeland. Have the birthplace and area where he/she lived marked clearly.
TIMELINE:
On a separate sheet of paper, create a personal time line for your
mathematician/scientist. List 7 personal events from your mathematician/scientist’s life
and 3 events that happened in History during the time your Mathematician/Scientist
were alive. Be sure to include a minimum total of 10 entries.
 Timeline makers:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/results.aspx?qu=timelines
http://www.learningtools.arts.ubc.ca/timeline.htm
http://www.readwritethink.org/materials/timeline/
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
On a separate sheet of paper, create a bibliography. You will need to cite the sources
that you used to find your research (Books, Encyclopedia, Internet, etc)
 Bibliography makers: (These sites will correctly format the bibliography for you):
http://easybib.com/
http://www.bibme.org/
Local Library Information:
Rancho Cucamonga Library located at 7368 Archibald Avenue, Rancho Cucamonga,
CA 91730. Phone: (909) 477-2720
Paul A. Biane Library @ Victoria Gardens located at 12505 Cultural Center Drive,
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91739. Phone: (909) 477-2720
Fontana Branch Library located at 16860 Valencia Ave. • Fontana, CA 92335 •
Phone: 909-822-8330
Montclair Branch Library located at 9955 Fremont Ave. • Montclair, CA 91763 •
Phone: 909-624-4671
Need Computer Access ?
Ask Friends or Family
Local Library
Look in the Phonebook for businesses (ex. FedEx Kinko’s)
Internet Resources:
Below you may find some helpful internet sites to help you get started.
Biographies, quotes, pictures
http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/
Quotes
http://math.furman.edu/~mwoodard/mquot.html
Biographies: Mathematicians
http://www.math.com/students/mathematicians.html
Mathematicians Links
http://search.myway.com/search/GGmain.jhtml?pg=GGmain&action=click&searchfor
=Mathematicians+Links&tpr=&st=site&ct=SC
Mathematicians Through History
http://teacher.scholastic.com/fieldtrp/math/maththru.htm
Interesting facts and stories
http://library.thinkquest.org/22494/main_page/math_stories_and_humour.htm
Famous Scientists
http://www.ziplink.net/~pik/Famous%20Scientists.html
PBS People & Discoveries
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/databank/bioindex.html
Famous Scientists
http://www.famous-scientists.net/
Famous Inventors
http://www.didyouknow.org/people.inventors.htm
Distinguished Women of Past & Present
http://www.distinguishedwomen.com/subject/math.html
Famous Scientists, Inventors, and Mathematicians
http://www.nisd.net/boone/Projects/scientists/scientists.htm
Science Biographies
http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/biography/letters/
Famous Astronomers and Astrophysicists
http://cnr2.kent.edu/~manley/astronomers.html
About.com--Mathematics
http://math.about.com/od/mathematicians/Mathematicians.htm
About.com--Biographies
http://math.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ/Ya&sdn=math&cdn=education
&tm=10&gps=128_5_796_423&f=00&tt=14&bt=1&bts=0&zu=http%3A//wwwhistory.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/history/Miscellaneous/Popular.html
The Twenty-five Greatest Mathematicians of All Time
http://james.fabpedigree.com/mathmen.htm
Famous Mathematicians
http://www.famousmathematician.com/
Mathematician Pictures
http://www.mathematicianspictures.com/
Famous Scientists
http://www.crystalinks.com/scientists.html