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Mathematical Introduction

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The Life and Works of John Napier

Abstract

When Andro Hart of Edinburgh published a book entitled Mirifici Logarithmorum Canonis Descriptio [27] (Description of theWonderful Table of Logarithms) in 1614 what we would now call the mathematics world was taken by surprise. Even its title was a mystery because this was the first appearance in print of the word logarithms. In this small book of 147 pages, its author and inventor, identified as Ioanne Nepero (known today as John Napier although he never signed his name this way) Baron of Merchiston, provided the world with an unexpected and very powerful solution to a long-standing problem.

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Rice, B., González-Velasco, E., Corrigan, A. (2017). Mathematical Introduction. In: The Life and Works of John Napier. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53282-0_4

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