Biography Of John Napier

Submitted By JayHEAT
Words: 550
Pages: 3
Open Document
John Napier

John Napier is a Scottish mathematician who is famous for his devices to assist with computation. He is best known as the inventor of logarithms, Napier’s bones, and the use of the decimal point in mathematics. His work with logarithms was revolutionary at his time. He made it possible for mathematicians to do their long tedious calculations like multiplying and dividing very large numbers by replacing them with simpler processes by adding and subtracting the corresponding logarithms. This made many astronomers thrilled with shorter simpler calculations. Their work went from pages to pages and hours and hours of work to just a few pages and only a few hours of work. It speed up the time of the calculations for the planetary positions in the solar system. Even though he invented a revolutionary way to do mathematical calculations in a much faster way, many mathematicians did not trust Napier. Many objected to use logarithms because no one knew or understood how they worked. He did not have proof that the calculations were correct.
Napier had a great interest in astronomy. Which led to his contribution to mathematics. Napier was not just a stargazer, he was involved in research that required lengthy and time consuming calculations of very large numbers. Once the idea came to him that there might be an easier and simpler way to perform large number calculations, Napier focused on his invention and spent more than twenty years perfecting his idea. The result of this work is what we now call logarithms.
Napier found out that all the numbers can be expressed in what we now call exponential form, meaning 8 can be written as 2^3. What make logarithms so useful is the fact that the operations of multiplication and division can be reduced to simple addition and subtraction. When very large numbers are expressed as a logarithm, multiplication becomes the addition of exponents.
John Napier first wrote down his discovery in his own book called “ A Description of the Wonderful Canon of Logarithms.” One of John Napier’s most famous quotes is
“Seeing there is nothing that is so troublesome to mathematical practice.... than the multiplications, divisions, square and cubical
Show More

Related Documents: Biography Of John Napier

John Napier's Major Accomplishments

John Napier was born on February 1st, 1550 in Merchiston Tower, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. Napier was born into a wealthy life due to his kin being from nobles. Since Napier was born into a wealthy household, he did not attend school until he was thirteen. When Napier enrolled in school he went to Saint Andrews University where he studied theology, which is the study of God and religious beliefs. Napier was very deep in his Christian Protestant religion, but was very anti-Catholic and criticized…

Words 406 - Pages 2

Logarithms Research Paper

The first was a Scottish Mathematician and Theologist, John Napier. He published his first book on the Logarithm in 1614 called…

Words 1038 - Pages 5

Essay on Logs: Logarithms

invented independently by John Napier, a Scotsman, and by Joost Burgi, a Swiss. The logarithms which they invented differed from each other and from the common and natural logarithms now in use. Napier's logarithms were published in 1614; Burgi's logarithms were published in 1620. The objective of both men was to simplify mathematical calculations. Napier's approach was algebraic and Burgi's approach was geometric. Neither men had a concept of a logarithmic base. Napier defined logarithms as a ratio…

Words 372 - Pages 2

Essay on Logarithms: Logarithm and Exponential Functions

think it would look like? This is called a LOGARITHM John Napier invented the logarithm in 1614. History of Logarithms Scottish mathematician Picture on left Napier’s work involved long calculations and large numbers – he wished for a simpler way to carry out his work How did he do it? Napier created exponential form (ex. 23=8, 24=16, 25=32) From this, he made his first logarithmic table History Continued Henry Briggs and John Napier collaborated and created the official logarithm form General…

Words 916 - Pages 4

Essay on Earth and Bishop James Ussher

there have been thousands of them over the centuries, and they fall roughly into two classes: religious prophecy and weirdness, with the latter including psychics, UFO believers and the truly insane. John Napier and Jakob Bernoulli predicted the world would end in the late 17th/early 18th centuries — Napier predicted 1688 or 1700, while Bernoulli predicted a comet would wipe out the Earth in 1719. Isaac Newton made the safe prediction of 2000. Another in the scientist category is Bishop James Ussher…

Words 720 - Pages 3

Logarithm Complete Essay

ADDITIONAL MATHEMATICS PROJECT WORK 1/2013 LOGARITHM NAME : CLASS : 5 GAMMA I/C NO : SCHOOL : SMK DARUL EHSAN TEACHER : PUAN ROSMAZARAH BT SULONG INDEX NO CONTENT PAGE 1 Appreciation 3 2 Objective 4 3 Introduction 5 4 Part 1 Question 6-11 5 Conjecture 12 5 Part 2 Question 13-15 6 Part 3 Question 16-20 7 Further Exploration 21 8 Conclusion 22 9 Reflection 23 Appreciation Assalamualaikum. As this Additional Mathematics Project Work for 2013 had been completed. I would…

Words 3435 - Pages 14

Yeti Research Paper

recently found to be made from a yak.The Russian government has recently taken an interest in the Yeti going so far as to organize a conference of Bigfoot experts and bringing them to western Siberia in October 2011. Bigfoot researcher and biologist John Bindernagel claimed that he saw evidence that the Yeti not only exist but build nests and shelters out of twisted tree branches. The lack of hard evidence despite decades of searches doesn't deter true believers the fact that these mysterious creatures…

Words 772 - Pages 4

History Of Computer Essay

addition only. In 1673, Gottfried Leibnitz, a German mathematician and philosopher, modify the Pascaline by inventing a new device that could multiply and also fine square root of numbers. It was called Leibnitz Calculator. In the early 17th century, John Napier, a Scottish mathematician invents a device that can do multiply and divide. This device use marked strips of wood or bones, side by side. This device is known as Napier’s bones. In 1801, Jacquard invented the Jacquard loom. It was weaving…

Words 532 - Pages 3

Cats: Cats and Andrew Lloyd Webber Essay

CATS is a musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot, and produced by Cameron Mackintosh. The musical tells the story of a tribe of cats called the Jellicles and the night they make what is known as "the Jellicle choice" and decide which cat will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new life. Cats also introduced the song standard "Memory". Directed by Trevor Nunn and choreographed by Gillian Lynne, Cats first opened in the…

Words 710 - Pages 3

Homo Habilis: The Handy Man? Essay example

ancestors. Estimated to have existed between 2.4 and 1.5 million years ago, habilis lived in Africa. Specimens have been uncovered in multiple present-day African countries including Tanzania, Ethiopia, Kenya, and South Africa. Louis Leakey, John Napier, and Phillip Tobias subjected their specimen to intense study, finally announcing in January 1964 that they had discovered a new species of Homo. The Latin name “habilis” was originally proposed by Raymond Dart. It translates to “handy man,” an…

Words 1154 - Pages 5