Viète, François, Seigneur De La Bigotiere
- Viète, François, Seigneur De La Bigotiere
-
▪ French mathematician
born 1540, Fontenay-le-Comte, France
died Dec. 13, 1603, Paris
mathematician who introduced the first systematic algebraic notation and contributed to the theory of equations.
Viète, a Huguenot sympathizer, solved a complex cipher of more than 500 characters used by King
Philip II of Spain in his war to defend Roman Catholicism from the Huguenots. When Philip, assuming that the cipher could not be broken, discovered that the French were aware of his military plans, he complained to the pope that black magic was being employed against his country.
Viète's
Canon mathematicus seu ad triangula (1579; “Mathematical Laws Applied to Triangles”) is probably the first western European work dealing with a systematic development of methods—utilizing all six trigonometric functions—for computing plane and spherical triangles. Viète has been called “the father of modern algebraic notation,” and his
In artem analyticem isagoge (1591; “Introduction to the Analytical Arts”) closely resembles a modern elementary algebra text. His contribution to the theory of equations is
De aequationum recognitione et emendatione (1615; “Concerning the Recognition and Emendation of Equations”), in which he presented methods for solving equations of second,
third, and fourth degree. He knew the connection between the positive roots of an equation (
which, in his time, were thought of as the only roots) and the coefficients of the different powers of the unknown quantity.
* * *
Universalium.
2010.
Look at other dictionaries:
François Viète — d après Daniel ou Jean Rabel Naissance 1540 Fontenay le Comte (France) Décès 23 février 1603 Paris … Wikipédia en Français
Francois Viete — François Viète François Viète, ou François Viette, en latin Franciscus Vieta, est un mathématicien français, né à Fontenay le Comte (Vendée) en 1540 et mort à Paris le 23 février 1603. De famille bourgeoise et de formation juridique, il … Wikipédia en Français
Viète — François Viète François Viète d après Daniel ou Jean Rabel Naissance 1540 Fontenay le Comte (France) … Wikipédia en Français
VIÈTE (F.) — Viète est célèbre aujourd’hui en tant qu’inventeur de l’algèbre moderne. Or, à son époque, il était plus connu comme maître des requêtes et conseiller privé d’Henri IV que comme mathématicien. Toute sa vie est en effet marquée par cette dualité… … Encyclopédie Universelle
François Viète — Infobox Scientist name = Francois Viete box width = image width = caption = Francois Viete, French mathematician birth date = 1540 birth place = Fontenay le Comte, Poitou death date = December, 1603 death place = Paris, France residence =… … Wikipedia
mathematics — /math euh mat iks/, n. 1. (used with a sing. v.) the systematic treatment of magnitude, relationships between figures and forms, and relations between quantities expressed symbolically. 2. (used with a sing. or pl. v.) mathematical procedures,… … Universalium
algebra — /al jeuh breuh/, n. 1. the branch of mathematics that deals with general statements of relations, utilizing letters and other symbols to represent specific sets of numbers, values, vectors, etc., in the description of such relations. 2. any of… … Universalium
trigonometry — trigonometric /trig euh neuh me trik/, trigonometrical, adj. trigonometrically, adv. /trig euh nom i tree/, n. the branch of mathematics that deals with the relations between the sides and angles of plane or spherical triangles, and the… … Universalium
analytic geometry — a branch of mathematics in which algebraic procedures are applied to geometry and position is represented analytically by coordinates. Also called coordinate geometry. [1820 30] * * * Investigation of geometric objects using coordinate systems.… … Universalium
trigonometry table — tabulated values for some or all of the six trigonometric functions for various angular values. Once an essential tool for scientists, engineers, surveyors, and navigators, trigonometry tables became obsolete with the availability of computers.… … Universalium
