John Wallis
John Wallis (/ˈwɒlɪs/; Latin: Wallisius; 3 December [O.S. 23 November] 1616 – 8 November [O.S. 28 October] 1703) was an English clergyman and mathematician, who is given partial credit for the development of infinitesimal calculus.
John Wallis | |
|---|---|
| Born | 3 December [O.S. 23 November] 1616 Ashford, Kent, England |
| Died | 8 November 1703 (aged 86) [O.S. 28 October 1703] Oxford, Oxfordshire, England |
| Nationality | English |
| Education | Felsted School, Emmanuel College, Cambridge |
| Known for | Wallis product Inventing the symbol ∞ Extending Cavalieri's quadrature formula Coining the term "momentum" |
| Spouse | Susanna Glynde (m. 1645) |
| Children | 3, including Anne, Lady Blencowe |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematics |
| Institutions |
|
| Academic advisors | William Oughtred |
| Notable students | William Brouncker |
Between 1643 and 1689 he served as chief cryptographer for Parliament and, later, the royal court. He is credited with introducing the symbol ∞ to represent the concept of infinity. He similarly used 1/∞ for an infinitesimal. John Wallis was a contemporary of Newton and one of the greatest intellectuals of the early renaissance of mathematics.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.