John Napier

Scottish mathematician, physicist, and astronomer (1550–1617)

John Napier (he also signed as Neper, and Nepair)[1] 1550 – 4 April 1617) was a Scottish landowner, nicknamed "Marvellous Merchiston". He was a mathematician, physicist, and astronomer. He was the 8th Laird of Merchiston. His Latinized name was Ioannes Neper.

John Napier
John Napier (1550–1617)
Born1550
Died4 April 1617(1617-04-04) (aged 66–67)
Edinburgh, Scotland
NationalityScottish
Alma materUniversity of St Andrews
Known forLogarithms
Napier's bones
Decimal notation
Scientific career
FieldsMathematician
InfluencedHenry Briggs

John Napier is best known as the discoverer of logarithms and Napier's constant. He also invented the so-called "Napier's bones" and made common the use of the decimal point in arithmetic and mathematics.[2]

References change

  1. "Napier". Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.
  2. Cajori F. A history of mathematics. 2nd ed, p149. New York: Macmillan.


 
Napier's 'bones' were used to find the products and quotients of numbers