John Napier
eBook - ePub

John Napier

Life, Logarithms, and Legacy

  1. 296 pages
  2. English
  3. ePUB (mobile friendly)
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub

John Napier

Life, Logarithms, and Legacy

About this book

The most comprehensive account of the mathematician's life and work

John Napier (1550–1617) is celebrated today as the man who invented logarithms—an enormous intellectual achievement that would soon lead to the development of their mechanical equivalent in the slide rule: the two would serve humanity as the principal means of calculation until the mid-1970s. Yet, despite Napier's pioneering efforts, his life and work have not attracted detailed modern scrutiny. John Napier is the first contemporary biography to take an in-depth look at the multiple facets of Napier's story: his privileged position as the eighth Laird of Merchiston and the son of influential Scottish landowners; his reputation as a magician who dabbled in alchemy; his interest in agriculture; his involvement with a notorious outlaw; his staunch anti-Catholic beliefs; his interactions with such peers as Henry Briggs, Johannes Kepler, and Tycho Brahe; and, most notably, his estimable mathematical legacy.

Julian Havil explores Napier's original development of logarithms, the motivations for his approach, and the reasons behind certain adjustments to them. Napier's inventive mathematical ideas also include formulas for solving spherical triangles, "Napier's Bones" (a more basic but extremely popular alternative device for calculation), and the use of decimal notation for fractions and binary arithmetic. Havil also considers Napier's study of the Book of Revelation, which led to his prediction of the Apocalypse in his first book, A Plaine Discovery of the Whole Revelation of St. John—the work for which Napier believed he would be most remembered.

John Napier assesses one man's life and the lasting influence of his advancements on the mathematical sciences and beyond.

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Yes, you can access John Napier by Julian Havil in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Mathematics & Science & Technology Biographies. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Cover Page
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright Page
  4. Dedication Page
  5. Contents
  6. Acknowledgments
  7. Introduction
  8. Chapter One: Life and Lineage
  9. Chapter Two: Revelation and Recognition
  10. Chapter Three: A New Tool for Calculation
  11. Chapter Four: Constructing the Canon
  12. Chapter Five: Analogue and Digital Computers
  13. Chapter Six: Logistics: The Art of Computing Well
  14. Chapter Seven: Legacy
  15. Epilogue
  16. Appendix A: Napier’s Works
  17. Appendix B: The Scottish Science Hall of Fame
  18. Appendix C: Scotland and Conflict
  19. Appendix D: Scotland and Reformation
  20. Appendix E: A Stroll Down Memory Lane
  21. Appendix F: Methods of Multiplying
  22. Appendix G: Amending Napier’s Kinematic Model
  23. Appendix H: Napier’s Inequalities
  24. Appendix I: Hos Ego Versiculos Feci
  25. Appendix J: The Rule of Three
  26. Appendix K: Mercator’s Map
  27. Appendix L: The Swiss Claimant
  28. References
  29. Index