ing about? Or was he such a genius that
he took the proof he was able to see, in
his time, to his grave? Like so many mys-
teries of history, we may never know.
Who began the mathematical study
of probability?
French scientist and religious philoso-
pher Blaise Pascal (1623–1662) is known
not only for the study of probability but
for many other mathematically oriented
advances, such as a calculation machine
(invented at age 19 to help his father with
tax calculations, but it performed only
additions), hydrostatics, and conic sec-
tions. He is also credited (along with Fer-
mat) as the founder of modern theory of
probability. (For more information about
probability, see “Applied Mathematics.”)
Who was Sir Isaac Newton?
Sir Isaac Newton (1642–1727) was an English mathematician and physicist considered
by some to be one of the greatest scientists who ever lived. He was credited with
inventing differential calculus in 1665 and integral calculus the following year. (For
more information about calculus, see “Mathematical Analysis.”) The list of his
achievements—mathematical and scientific—does not end there: He is also credited
as the discoverer of the general binomial theorem, he worked on infinite series, and he
even made advancements in optics and chemistry.
Some of Newton’s greatest contributions include the development of the law of
universal gravitation, rules of planetary orbits, and sundry other astronomical con-
cepts. By 1687, Newton had written one of his most famous books, The Principiaor
Philosophiae naturalis principia mathematica(The Mathematical Principles of Nat-
ural Philosophy), which is often called the greatest scientific book ever written. In it
Newton presents his theories of motion, gravity, and mechanics. Although he had
developed calculus earlier, he still used the customary classical geometry to work out
physical problems within the book.
Who was Baron Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz?
A contemporary of Isaac Newton, German philosopher and mathematician Baron Got-
tfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646–1716) is considered by some to be a largely forgotten 27
HISTORY OF MATHEMATICS
Seventeenth-century scientist Blaise Pascal was the
founder of mathematical probability, as well as other
achievements, such as devising one of the first cal-
culating machines.