Table of Contents
What is John Napier best known for computing?
logarithms
He was the 8th Laird of Merchiston. His Latinized name was Ioannes Neper. John Napier is best known as the discoverer of logarithms. He also invented the so-called “Napier’s bones” and made common the use of the decimal point in arithmetic and mathematics.
What did John Napier create?
Logarithm
Napier’s bonesPromptuary
John Napier/Inventions
What is the meaning of Napier?
Napier /ˈneɪpɪər/ is a surname with an English, Scottish, French or Polish origin. The British surname Napier is derived from an occupational name for someone who sold or produced table linen; or for a naperer which was a servant who was responsible for the washing and storage of linen in a medieval household.
Is Napier jewelry still being made?
Today Napier jewelry is still manufactured, although the company was bought by Nine West Holdings.
Who was John Napier and what did he do?
John Napier was a famous Scottish mathematician who is best known for his invention of logarithms which are used to help with mathematical calculations.
Why did John Napier delegate computation to Briggs?
Napier delegated to Briggs the computation of a revised table. The computational advance available via logarithms, the inverse of powered numbers or exponential notation, was such that it made calculations by hand much quicker. The way was opened to later scientific advances, in astronomy, dynamics, and other areas of physics .
How did John Napier bring decimal notation to common use?
Napier improved decimal notation that has been introduced by Simon Stevin and brought the decimal point into common use. Napier presented a mechanical means of simplifying lattice multiplication calculations using “numbering rods” in his work “Rabdologiae, seu Numerationis per Virgulas Libri Duo” (Study of Divining Rods) published in 1617.
How did John Napier come up with the term logarithm?
He coined the term from the two ancient Greek terms “logos”, meaning proportion, and “arithmos”, meaning number; joining them to produce the word logarithm. The technique was found to be very accurate and his work was translated into different languages and was also widely printed.