Abstract—This paper is a report on the mathematics and the mathematicians of The Renaissance. During this time period, many significant advancements in mathematics occurred in many areas of mathematics, including algebra, trigonometry, and calculus. Similarly, it was during this time, due to the impending need to learn the mathematics of intricately complex and rather precise calculation, in which the abacist came into existence. Noteworthy as well are the many mathematicians who apported the mathematical contributions that were made during this brief period in time.
Index Terms—Algebra, Cubic, Mathematicians, Renaissance
I. INTRODUCTION
The brief time period of the Renaissance, ranging approximately from the 14th through the mid-17th centuries,
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Adam Riese
Riese was also a renowned teacher and mathematician. He wrote many books, some intended for children, others for particular populations, and yet others who were written for all audiences [6]. His book, Rechmung auff der linihen und Federn explained “the lined calculating board” as well as introduced the use of Indo-Arabic numerals for calculations [6]. It also mentioned addition, subtraction, division, and multiplication, which was not very clear at the time and very few could actually perform it [2].
E. Robert Recorde (1510-1558)
Recorde, an Englishman, is attributed with the founding of the “English school of mathematics” and the introduction of algebra to England [2]. Recorde is best known for inventing the equal sign.
F. Girolamo Cardano
Cardano was a mathematics instructor at Bologna, Pavia, and Milan. Apparently, he would leave each of his positions due to scandals that seemed to brew. He lived a very complex life with many enemies and is said to have even predicted his own death, realizing this prediction only by committing suicide [2]. He wrote Ars Magna, which was entirely devoted to algebra and laid the first steps to the rapid evolution of mathematics.
G. Nicolo Fontana Tartaglia
Abstract: This paper gives an insight into the Mathematics used by the American Indians. The history of American Indians and how they incorporated mathematics into their lives is scarce. However from the information retrieved by Archeologists, we have an idea of the type of mathematics that was used by American Indians.
The Renaissance can be considered an artistic period between the end of the Middle Age and the start of the Modern Age. The cultural movement touched every part of Europe but its origin and development are in Florence. This period is a synonym, a symbol of “change” in all the aspect of the humankind: it is the celebration of
All of Scheiner’s formal education had come by the teachings of Jesuit establishments, where he learned and believed (like most) of the Aristotelian structure of the cosmos. In his later years, he attended the Society’s University, where, in 1600, he studied mathematics and physics under Johannes Lanz (Reeves, 37). Lanz thought highly of Scheiner, especially in his abilities in the arenas of mathematics and mechanics. Over the next few years, Scheiner began teaching mathematics when he had heard of an artist’s mechanical drawing aid, the pantograph, w...
He took his teaching duties very seriously, while he was preparing lectures for his charge on variety an of topics about science. The first scientific work dates were all from this period. It involves topics, which would continue to occupy him throughout his life. In 1571, he began publication of his track. It was intended to form a preliminary mathematical part of a major study on the Ptolemaic astronomical model. He continued to embrace the Ptolemaic (Parshall 1).
In this paper I'm focusing mainly on Renaissance art work, since that was the assignment, but I feel it's important to also mention the other important parts of the Renaissance, architecture, science, politics and religion.
The Renaissance was a cultural and intellectual movement that had its peak during the 15th and 16th centuries. During these times there was a heightened interest with the classical learning that was brought about in the middle ages. The renaissance first started in Italy and then eventually spread to Western Europe. During this period there was a high interest in the aesthetics of the classical world like architecture. The renaissance focused on the 17th century philosophy which came from the Greeks.
Although I only mentioned three of his most famous contributions to math, there are many more. Archimedes was the person to prove that the area of a circle was equal to pi multiplied by the circle’s radius squared. He also calculated the volumes of parts of many other shapes including spheroids and conoids. The things that he came up with with little to no prior information to work with are used to help millions of people do different things. He was one of the most brilliant minds the world has ever known and without his work, math would not have come as far as it has
It is well known that in the past, Renaissance artists received their training in an atmosphere of artists and mathematicians studying and learning together (Emmer 2). People also suggest that the art of the future will depend on new technologies, computer graphics in particular (Emmer 1). There are many mathematical advantages to using computer graphics. They can help to visualize phenomena and to understand how to solve new problems (Emmer 2). “The use of ‘visual computers’ gives rise to new challenges for mathematicians. At the same time, computer graphics might in the future be the unifying language between art and science” (Emmer 3).
His father taught his Latin but after a while saw his son’s greater passion towards mathematics. However, Andre resumed his Latin lessons to enable him to study the work of famous mathematicians Leonhard Euler and Bernoulli. While in the study of his father’s library his favorite study books were George Louis Leclerc history book and Denis Diderot and Jean Le Rond Encyclopedia, became Ampere’s schoolmasters (Andre). When Ampere finished in his father’s library he had his father take him to the library in Lyon. While there he studied calculus. A couple of weeks later he was able to do difficult treaties on applied mathematics (Levy, Pg. 135). Later in life he said “the new as much about mathematics when he was 18, than he knew in his entire life. His reading...
Leonhard Paul Euler was born the son of a pastor on April 15, 1707 in Basel, Switzerland. Soon after he was born, his family moved to Riehen, where Leonhard would spend most of his childhood. Leonhard’s father, Paul, was good friends with the Bernoulli family, whose patriarch, Johann Bernoulli, was then viewed as Europe’s leading mathematician. Bernoulli would eventually become a great influence on Leonhard’s life. When Leonhard was thirteen, he was sent to live with his maternal grandmother in Basel, where he enrolled in the University of Basel and eventually earned his Master’s in Philosophy, and wrote his dissertation comparing the philosophies of Newton and Descartes. Euler was following in his father’s footsteps, studying theology, Greek, and Hebrew, and was determined to become a pastor. However, Johann Bernoulli was convinced Euler was destined to become a great mathematician, and talked Paul Euler into letting his son pursue his own passio...
François Viète, also known as the “Father of Modern Algebraic Notation”, was born in 1540 in Fontenay-le-Comte, France. Viète attended school locally during his childhood, but decided to move to the city of Poitiers later on to further his education. Although François is considered the ninth greatest mathematician of all time, his main profession was not studying mathematics. He attended the University of Poitiers and, following in his father’s footsteps, studied law. Despite this fact, Viète is noted to have spent much of his spare time studying astronomy and mathematics because these subjects greatly interested him.
He made advances in trigonometry, geometry and calculus. He is also credited for analyzing the infinite series. He made many innovations such as introducing the term ‘continued fraction’ and using the symbol for infinity for the first time. He is also said to be the initiator of the number line.
Born in the Netherlands, Daniel Bernoulli was one of the most well-known Bernoulli mathematicians. He contributed plenty to mathematics and advanced it, ahead of its time. His father, Johann, made him study medicine at first, as there was little money in mathematics, but eventually, Johann gave in and tutored Daniel in mathematics. Johann treated his son’s desire to lea...
Burton, D. (2011). The History of Mathematics: An Introduction. (Seventh Ed.) New York, NY. McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
The 17th Century saw Napier, Briggs and others greatly extend the power of mathematics as a calculator science with his discovery of logarithms. Cavalieri made progress towards the calculus with his infinitesimal methods and Descartes added the power of algebraic methods to geometry. Euclid, who lived around 300 BC in Alexandria, first stated his five postulates in his book The Elements that forms the base for all of his later Abu Abd-Allah ibn Musa al’Khwarizmi, was born abo...