The Dawn of Modern Mathematics

17th century
The 17th Century

Considered the “dawn of modern mathematics”

because there were significant innovations in
mathematics during this short period of time
 Invention of logarithms

 Codification of algebra

 Science of dynamics began

 Further understanding of the universe developed

The 17th Century
 Beginnings of pure geometry, analytic geometry, and
probability
 ….all leading up to the creation of calculus
John Napier (1550-1617)

 Scottish mathematician, theologian, inventor of

weaponry
 2 trigonometric formulas used in oblique spherical
triangles
 Napier’s Rods for mechanically performing
computations
 Invented Logarithms

-Was tired of having to do long tedious

calculations of multiplication and division
Napier’s rods consisted of 10 rectangular blocks of wood
or bone designed to form a sort of multiplication table.
The face of each rod was divided into nine squares. A
particular digit was engraved in the top square, while the
lower squares contained multiples of it from 2 to 9. When
the product involved two integers, they are separated by
a diagonal, with the tens digit above and to the left. The
end rod, which served as a row marker, had the Roman
numerals I to IX written on it. Suppose, for instance, that
one wished to multiply 458 by 36.
The rods headed by 4, 5, and 8 were placed side by side,
along with the marker rod. Looking across the line
indicated by III, the third multiples are noted; and the tens
digit in each square is carried diagonally downward and
added to the units in the next square on the left.
Corresponding to the multiplier 3, one should have 4, 2 +
5, 1 + 2, and 1. This gives the digits 4, 7, 3, and 1 of the
product (458) (3) in reverse order; the product itself is
1374. Multiplication by 6 is performed in exactly the same
way to get 2748.
Napier published his logarithms in 1614

His line of thought was this: If we could write any positive

number as a power of some given, fixed number then
multiplication and division of numbers would be equivalent to
addition and subtraction of their exponents, thus creating the
first logarithms
Napier published his logarithms in 1614

 Book was received with great enthusiasm

 Laplace quote: “by shortening the labors, doubled
the life of the astronomer”
 Adopted all across Europe and China
 Kepler used logarithms with success
 Led to collaboration and revamping of logs with
Briggs
Henry Briggs (1561-1630)

 Professor of geometry at Oxford

 Mathematics:

 With Napier, constructed common logs (Base 10)

 Also constructed trigonometric Logs
 Constructed log tables with 14 places for numbers 1-
20,000 and 90,000-100,000
 Tables were completed by Adrian Vlacq in 1628, and they
became the basis for all log tables until the 20th century
Logarithms are exponents

x  a andy  log a x
y

are fully equivalent, except that the second is solved for y

and the symbol “log” is invented to express this idea.

Amazingly, Napier and Briggs understood and used logs

well before exponents were considered.
Napier’s logarithm

If N  10 7 1  10 7  let us write Nap. log N =n for the

n

Naperian logarithm of N.
Thomas Harriet
 English mathematician
 Thought to have introduced the potato to England and
Ireland
 Was Sir Walter Ralleigh’s math tutor
 Traveled to America to map what is now north carolina
 Considered the founder of the English school of algebraists
 Textbook served as early foundation of algebra textbooks
 Notation: powers(ex. aa, aaa), <, >
William Oughtred
 English clergyman and math tutor
 Gave us over 150 symbols
x for multiplication
• for multiplication
:: for proportion
~ for difference
Abbreviations for trigonometric functions
 Invented the straight logarithmic slide rule
Galileo Galilei
 Italian mathematician, astronomer, physicist, philosopher
 Provided connections between experiments and theories
 Sent to university at 17 to study medicine
 Experiments on the swinging pendulum led to his leaving
medicine to study mathematics
 Appointed professor of mathematics at University of Pisa
at 25
Galileo Galilei
 Often gave large public experiments on falling bodies
 Showed that objects fall at the same rate, regardless of
weight
 The University of Pisa made life “unpleasant” for him. He
resigned and joined University of Padua were he
continued his scientific pursuits.
 Invented the telescope
Johann Kepler
 Created first three laws of planetary motion
 Served as the precursor to calculus as law 2 required a
crude form of integrals
Blaise Pascal

 Curiosity of math from a young age

 Invented first calculating machine at 18
 Died at an early age and considered the greatest “might
have been” mathematician
 Construction of Pascal’s Triangle
 Worked with Fermat to create the foundations to the
theory of probability
Activity
1. Use Napier’s rods to multiply by 458 by 79
2. From the definition of Napier’s logarithm, derive the
formula
Nap. log (M/N) = Nap. log M – Nap log N + Nap log 1.
3. Find the number of positive roots of the equation

x  2x  x  x  1  0
5 3 2