Download or read book The Life and Works of John Napier written by Brian Rice and published by Springer. This book was released on 2017-03-09 with total page 1009 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For the first time, all five of John Napier’s works have been brought together in English in a single volume, making them more accessible than ever before. His four mathematical works were originally published in Latin: two in his lifetime (1550–1617), one shortly after he died, and one over 200 years later. The authors have prepared three introductory chapters, one covering Napier himself, one his mathematical works, and one his religious work. The former has been prepared by one of Napier’s descendants and contains many new findings about Napier’s life to provide the most complete biography of this enigmatic character, whose reputation has previously been overshadowed by rumour and speculation. The latter has been written by an academic who was awarded a PhD for his thesis on Napier at the University of Edinburgh, and it provides the most lucid and coherent coverage available of this abstruse and little understood work. The chapter on Napier’s mathematical texts has been authored by an experienced and respected academic, whose recent works have specialised in the history of mathematics and whose Journey through Mathematics was selected in March of 2012 as an Outstanding Title in Mathematics by Choice magazine, a publication of the American Library Association. All three authors have revisited the primary sources extensively and deliver new insights about Napier and his works, whilst revising the many myths and assumptions that surround his life and character.
Download or read book John Napier written by Julian Havil and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2014-10-05 with total page 297 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The most comprehensive account of the mathematician's life and work John Napier (1550–1617) is celebrated today as the man who invented logarithms—an enormous intellectual achievement that would soon lead to the development of their mechanical equivalent in the slide rule: the two would serve humanity as the principal means of calculation until the mid-1970s. Yet, despite Napier's pioneering efforts, his life and work have not attracted detailed modern scrutiny. John Napier is the first contemporary biography to take an in-depth look at the multiple facets of Napier’s story: his privileged position as the eighth Laird of Merchiston and the son of influential Scottish landowners; his reputation as a magician who dabbled in alchemy; his interest in agriculture; his involvement with a notorious outlaw; his staunch anti-Catholic beliefs; his interactions with such peers as Henry Briggs, Johannes Kepler, and Tycho Brahe; and, most notably, his estimable mathematical legacy. Julian Havil explores Napier’s original development of logarithms, the motivations for his approach, and the reasons behind certain adjustments to them. Napier’s inventive mathematical ideas also include formulas for solving spherical triangles, "Napier’s Bones" (a more basic but extremely popular alternative device for calculation), and the use of decimal notation for fractions and binary arithmetic. Havil also considers Napier’s study of the Book of Revelation, which led to his prediction of the Apocalypse in his first book, A Plaine Discovery of the Whole Revelation of St. John—the work for which Napier believed he would be most remembered. John Napier assesses one man’s life and the lasting influence of his advancements on the mathematical sciences and beyond.
Download or read book John Napier written by and published by CUP Archive. This book was released on with total page 60 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Presents a biographical sketch of Scottish mathematician John Napier (1550-1617), compiled as part of the MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive of the School of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Saint Andrews in Scotland. Highlights Naimark's work on logarithms.
Download or read book Hands written by John Napier and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2021-05-11 with total page 195 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Intended for all readers--including magicians, detectives, musicians, orthopedic surgeons, and anthropologists--this book offers a thorough account of that most intriguing and most human of appendages: the hand. In this illustrated work, John Napier explores a wide range of absorbing subjects such as fingerprints, handedness, gestures, fossil remains, and the making and using of tools.
Download or read book John Napier written by Julian Havil and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2014-10-05 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The most comprehensive account of the mathematician's life and work John Napier (1550–1617) is celebrated today as the man who invented logarithms—an enormous intellectual achievement that would soon lead to the development of their mechanical equivalent in the slide rule: the two would serve humanity as the principal means of calculation until the mid-1970s. Yet, despite Napier's pioneering efforts, his life and work have not attracted detailed modern scrutiny. John Napier is the first contemporary biography to take an in-depth look at the multiple facets of Napier’s story: his privileged position as the eighth Laird of Merchiston and the son of influential Scottish landowners; his reputation as a magician who dabbled in alchemy; his interest in agriculture; his involvement with a notorious outlaw; his staunch anti-Catholic beliefs; his interactions with such peers as Henry Briggs, Johannes Kepler, and Tycho Brahe; and, most notably, his estimable mathematical legacy. Julian Havil explores Napier’s original development of logarithms, the motivations for his approach, and the reasons behind certain adjustments to them. Napier’s inventive mathematical ideas also include formulas for solving spherical triangles, "Napier’s Bones" (a more basic but extremely popular alternative device for calculation), and the use of decimal notation for fractions and binary arithmetic. Havil also considers Napier’s study of the Book of Revelation, which led to his prediction of the Apocalypse in his first book, A Plaine Discovery of the Whole Revelation of St. John—the work for which Napier believed he would be most remembered. John Napier assesses one man’s life and the lasting influence of his advancements on the mathematical sciences and beyond.
Download or read book John Napier and the Invention of Logarithms 1614 written by E. W. Hobson and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2012-03-29 with total page 53 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Originally published in 1914, this volume was created to mark the tercentenary of John Napier's Mirifici Logarithmorum Canonis Descriptio. Written by the prominent English mathematician Ernest William Hobson, the text provides a highly readable introduction to the theory of logarithms and puts their discovery within a historical context. Illustrations are also included. This is a concise and accessible book that will be of value to anyone with an interest in logarithms and the history of mathematics.
Download or read book The Construction of the Wonderful Canon of Logarithms written by John Napier and published by . This book was released on 1889 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book John Napier written by Rajesh Thakur and published by Prabhat Prakashan. This book was released on 2021-01-19 with total page 7 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: John Napier was a hugely influential figure in the 17th century. He is widely considered to be the first Scotsman to have made a significant contribution to scientific learning. He is best remembered as the inventor of the first system of logarithms; which made calculating faster and more accurate. He was a Scottish mathematician; physicist; astronomer and astrologer. He is also the inventor of the so-called Napier's rod. Napier also made common the use of the decimal point in arithmetic and mathematics.
Download or read book An Account of the Life Writings and Inventions of John Napier of Merchiston 1787 written by David Stewart and published by Kessinger Publishing. This book was released on 2009-06 with total page 152 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.
Download or read book Rabdology written by John Napier and published by . This book was released on 1990 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This first English translation of Napier's Rabdologia provides a clear and readable introduction to a group of physical calculating devices, which, long overshadowed by Napier's logarithms, have their own intrinsic interest and charm. "The tasks which fill'd beginners with dismayThis little book has banish'd clear away." John Napier had already discovered and published an epochmaking treatise on logarithms when in 1617 he turned to "rabdology" or rod-reckoning as yet another means by which to confront the problem of simplifying the huge calculations involved in multiplication, division, and the extraction of roots. This first English translation of Napier's Rabdologia provides a clear and readable introduction to a group of physical calculating devices, which, long overshadowed by Napier's logarithms, have their own intrinsic interest and charm. Book I describes the first device, a set of rods known as "Napier's Bones," which were inscribed with numbers forming multiplication tables and used in conjunction with pencil and paper. Book 11 presents a series of simple calculations that readers can solve by using the rods, and a series of tables of ratios useful for division. Napier then describes the second mechanical device for calculation, a forerunner of the modern calculator that he named promptuary or "place where things are stored ready for use." The third device, similar to a chessboard, allowed calculations to be performed by moving counters around the squares. Observing that the numbers had to be represented in what would now be called binary form, Napier provides instructions for changing from ordinary to binary numbers and back again, a method that worked equally well for multiplication and division and that had a particularly elegant symmetry when applied to the extraction of square roots.
Download or read book Not Just Batman s Butler written by Alan Napier and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2015-10-08 with total page 393 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In January 1966, Alan Napier became a household name on ABC's hit series Batman (1966-1968) as Alfred Pennyworth, loyal butler to the show's title character. This "overnight success" came after 16 years of stage work (and the occasional film) in his native England and 26 years of film and television work (and the occasional play) in the United States. In the early 1970s, Napier wrote an autobiography, detailing his childhood as a "poor relation" of the famous Birmingham political family the Chamberlains (Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain was a cousin), and his collaborations over the years with the likes of John Gielgud, Laurence Olivier, George Bernard Shaw, Noel Coward, Fritz Lang, Otto Preminger and Alfred Hitchcock. Almost 30 years after Napier's death, James Bigwood, who first read the manuscript in 1975 when interviewing the actor for a Films in Review profile, has prepared it for publication. This is Alan Napier's story in his own words, annotated and updated, with dozens of rare photographs.
Download or read book Memoirs of John Napier of Merchiston written by Mark Napier and published by . This book was released on 1834 with total page 614 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Curves for the Mathematically Curious written by Julian Havil and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2021-11-02 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ten amazing curves personally selected by one of today's most important math writers Curves for the Mathematically Curious is a thoughtfully curated collection of ten mathematical curves, selected by Julian Havil for their significance, mathematical interest, and beauty. Each chapter gives an account of the history and definition of one curve, providing a glimpse into the elegant and often surprising mathematics involved in its creation and evolution. In telling the ten stories, Havil introduces many mathematicians and other innovators, some whose fame has withstood the passing of years and others who have slipped into comparative obscurity. You will meet Pierre Bézier, who is known for his ubiquitous and eponymous curves, and Adolphe Quetelet, who trumpeted the ubiquity of the normal curve but whose name now hides behind the modern body mass index. These and other ingenious thinkers engaged with the challenges, incongruities, and insights to be found in these remarkable curves—and now you can share in this adventure. Curves for the Mathematically Curious is a rigorous and enriching mathematical experience for anyone interested in curves, and the book is designed so that readers who choose can follow the details with pencil and paper. Every curve has a story worth telling.
Download or read book Memoirs of John Napier of Merchiston His Lineage Life and Times written by Mark Napier and published by Forgotten Books. This book was released on 2017-07-18 with total page 582 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excerpt from Memoirs of John Napier of Merchiston, His Lineage, Life and Times: With a History of the Invention of Logarithms She had collected, she and my father invited him to come and live with them at Madura early in 1783, and there introduced him to all the Brahmins and other literary natives who resided at that place. No life of Napier, however, was destined to result from these spirited proceedings, which gave rise to the celebrated Mac kenzie Collection and, Sir Alexander adds in his evidence, the Marquis of Hastings purchased the whole collection for the East India Company from Colonel Mackenzie's widow for L. And thereby preserved for the British Government the most.valu able materials which could be procured for writing an authentic history of the British empire in India. Unfortunately the papers of the Honourable Mrs Johnston were also consumed by fire, an element that has been severe upon the materials for our Philosopher's biography. The late Earl of Buchan, ' towards the close of last cen tury, put together a few quarto pages of meagre and inaccurate bio graphy, which he called the Life of Napier, and to this was added an able but dry analysis of his published mathematical inventions by Dr Minto. This work has done more harm than good to the sub ject, as, from its imposing shape and title, it has given rise to a vague impression that nothing further could be known or said about Na pier, and may have deterred others, better qualified for the task than I can pretend to be, from exerting themselves to do justice to his memory. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
Download or read book The Daring Invention of Logarithm Tables written by Klaus Truemper and published by . This book was released on 2020-09-16 with total page 139 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the early 17th century, both Jost Bürgi and John Napier dared to invent a logarithm table whose construction required tens of thousands of computing steps. These tables reduced computing effort for multiplication and division by an order of magnitude. Indeed, their invention launched a computing revolution that continues to this day. The book tells the story of Bürgi's and Napier's work, and how Henry Briggs built on Napier's idea, creating a table of logarithms that was easier to use. John Napier and Henry Briggs described their methods in detail; distribution of their results was widespread. In contrast, Jost Bürgi did not leave detailed records of his work. Just a few copies of his table and terse handwritten instructions for its use have survived. To fill this gap, the book reconstructs Bürgi's thinking leading up to his table. The reader looks over his shoulder, so to speak, and learns how Bürgi came upon the idea, how he decided on the specific format of the table, and how his instructions should be interpreted. And so the reader experiences the magic of the invention of logarithms. The final chapters examine the question "Who invented logarithms?". For centuries, few people were aware of Bürgi's work; John Napier was considered to be the sole inventor. This changed at the middle of the 19th century when Jost Bürgi's work became more widely known. Since then there has been extensive debate whether Bürgi should be considered an independent co-inventor. Careful parsing of the history of logarithm going back to Archimedes of antiquity then reveals that, without doubt, John Napier and Jost Bürgi are independent co-inventors of logarithms.
Download or read book An Account of the Life Writings and Inventions of John Napier of Merchiston written by David Stewart Erskine Earl of Buchan and published by . This book was released on 1778 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Hands written by Virginia L. Kroll and published by . This book was released on 1997 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A concept book about the many ways we use our hands.
