John Napier Contribution

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John Napier was a mathematician during the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries. He was known for the development of the decimal point, discovering exponential form, logarithms, and Napier’s Rods. All of his discoveries and developments gave him a place in history as one of the early, great mathematicians. His discoveries didn’t only help other mathematicians, but they also helped astronomers do their calculations more quickly and other science based studies. While his first loves were theology and astronomy, he excelled in mathematics. The world of science and math was made simpler by John Napier’s discoveries.
John Napier was born in 1550 in Merchiston Castle, Edinburgh, Scotland to a noble and rich family. His father, Archibald, was a very important and noble man. He was knighted in 1565 and became Master of the Mint in 1582. Since John was born in a rich family they practiced noble practices which included education. His parents sent him off to learn at a university at a young age. He was sent to St Andrews University once he was of the age of thirteen. While thirteen seems young, it really wasn’t for the time as John’s father was only sixteen years old when John was born. While he was enrolled at St. Andrews, he actually lived at St. Salvadors College under watch of the principal. Not long after John enrolled at St. Andrews University, his mother died. John was never completely interested in Mathematics, but it was a hobby of his in which he excelled. It was first at St Andrews where John found his true love in theology. However, he did not do much studying of theology at St Andrews because he did not stay there long. In his little time at St Andrews he did not gain a higher knowledge in mathematics and the class...

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...th Newton’s Theory of Gravitation. All Napier wanted to do with his logarithms was to save people from “slippery errors”. He once said that “there is nothing that is so troublesome to mathematical practice than the multiplications, divisions, square and cubical extractions of great numbers, which besides the tedious expense of time are for the most part subject to many slippery errors.” That was a main reason that he wanted to find a way to multiply and divide large numbers easier.
All of the theories and accomplishments that John Napier contributed to the world have added up to making him a famous and worthwhile mathematician. Not only were his works important while he was alive, they were starting blocks for many other great scientists and innovators in the math and science fields. His theories are still being used and taught in modern times across the world.

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