Biography and Profile of John Napier, Mathematician

Biography and Profile of John Napier, Mathematician The hand without a thumb is at worst nothing but an animated spatula and at best a pair of forceps whose points dont meet properly - John Napier John Napier was a Scottish ​mathematician and inventor. Napier is famous for creating mathematical logarithms, creating the decimal point, and for inventing Napiers Bones, a calculating instrument. John Napier While better known as a mathematician, John Napier was a busy inventor. He proposed several military inventions including burning mirrors that set enemy ships on fire, special artillery that destroyed everything within a radius of four miles, bulletproof clothing, a crude version of a tank, and a submarine-like device. John Napier invented a hydraulic screw with a revolving axle that lowered water levels in coal pits. Napier also worked on agricultural innovations to improve crops with manures and salt. Mathematician As a Mathematician, the highlight of John Napiers life was the creation of logarithms and the decimal notation for fractions. His other mathematical contributions included: a mnemonic for formulas used in solving spherical triangles, two formulas known as Napiers analogies used in solving spherical triangles, and the exponential expressions for trigonometric functions. In 1621, English mathematician and clergyman, William Oughtred used Napiers logarithms when he invented the slide rule. Oughtred invented the standard rectilinear slide rule and circular slide rule. Napiers Bones Napiers bones were multiplication tables written on strips of wood or bones. The invention was used for multiplying, dividing, and taking square roots and cube roots.