When a famous mathematician has something new to say, the whole world pays attention.
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2006/03/5748.gif?resize=130%2C150&ssl=1)
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2006/03/5749.gif?resize=300%2C300&ssl=1)
Euclid’s Elements, which presented the state of the art in geometry around 300 B.C., has been extraordinarily influential. This massive, 13-volume compendium set the standard for mathematical exposition and precise discourse for many centuries. More than 2,000 editions have been published, and new, interactive versions now appear on the World Wide Web.