Clearly, the decimal point is incredibly important to the way we do math today. So, why did Clavius abandon such a monumental discovery so soon after making it?
Because he'd stolen it.
Well, "stole" may imply a bit more malice than is necessary. Let's not read motive into 14th century mathematicians. But according to a paper published in the journal Historia Mathematica, Clavius actually likely imported the decimal point into his own work when referencing the work of Italian merchant and mathematician Giovanni Bianchini from the 1440s-work that had been done almost 150 years earlier.
"In order to understand what Bianchini was doing," Glen Van Brummelen, PhD, a math historian at Trinity Western University in Canada, told the journal Nature, "you had to learn a completely new system of arithmetic."
ãã®èšäºã¯ Popular Mechanics US ã® July - August 2024 çã«æ²èŒãããŠããŸãã
7 æ¥éã® Magzter GOLD ç¡æãã©ã€ã¢ã«ãéå§ããŠãäœåãã®å³éžããããã¬ãã¢ã ã¹ããŒãªãŒã9,000 以äžã®éèªãæ°èã«ã¢ã¯ã»ã¹ããŠãã ããã
ãã§ã«è³Œèªè ã§ã ?  ãµã€ã³ã€ã³
ãã®èšäºã¯ Popular Mechanics US ã® July - August 2024 çã«æ²èŒãããŠããŸãã
7 æ¥éã® Magzter GOLD ç¡æãã©ã€ã¢ã«ãéå§ããŠãäœåãã®å³éžããããã¬ãã¢ã ã¹ããŒãªãŒã9,000 以äžã®éèªãæ°èã«ã¢ã¯ã»ã¹ããŠãã ããã
ãã§ã«è³Œèªè ã§ã? ãµã€ã³ã€ã³
After You Die, a Universe Eats Your Body
Scientists are unraveling the secrets of the necrobiome the ecosystem that takes over our corpses after death.
A Blistering Inferno. A Whirling Tornado. A Shocking Crash
Aerial firefighters have always been a critical line of defense against raging wildfires. But increasingly extreme blazes and a horrific accident have many wondering how we'll adapt to fires of the future.
Our New Moon Epoch
WHEN HUMANS GET INVOLVED IN places they weren't invited, things start to change. The Moon is no different.
The Surprising Drama Behind the Decimal Point
WHEN GERMAN MATHEMATICIAN Christopher Clavius introduced the world to the humble decimal point in 1593, he used it in one table, and never mentioned it or used it again.
Rapid Evolution
ON APRIL 26, 1986, THE No. 4 reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in northern Ukrainethen part of the Soviet Union-exploded, sending a massive plume of radiation into the sky. Nearly four decades later, the facility and much of the surrounding area remain uninhabited-by humans, at least.
THE OBELISK "LIFEFORMS" HIDING IN HUMANS
WE'RE NOT SURE IF IT'S EXCITING OR not that scientists have just discovered new \"lifeforms\" inside our bodies. Tiny bits of RNA, smaller than a virus, colonize bacteria inside our mouths and guts and have the power to transfer information that can be read by a cell.
The First AntiShip Ballistic Missile Attack
HE U.S. NAVY DESTROYER MASON (DDG87) was wrapping up a mission rescuing a tanker from pirates in the Gulf of Aden when the situation sharply escalated. The ship's radar detected at least one-or possibly two-missiles moving toward its position at supersonic speeds, each loaded with well over a half ton of explosives.
HOW TO GET STARTED SOLDERING
Soldering is rapidly becoming the skill of a bygone era. Much like the ability to drive a car with a manual transmission, read a map, or write a check, younger generations are learning less about how to work with their hands-and it's time for that to change.
SHARPENING YOUR TOOLS
TOOLS LOSE THEIR EDGE AND BECOME DULL. That's a fact of their existence.
CATALYTIC CONVERTER
THERE'S AN ARMY OF THIEVES COMING FOR YOUR