diagonal from each other, or 7 (6 1); and the next number in the separate diagonal,
or 8. In other words, 63 6 378.
Initially, the tables were used by merchants to speed up calculations. German
astronomer and mathematician Wilhelm Schickard (1592–1635) would eventually
build the first calculating machine based on Napier’s Bones in 1623. His device could
add, subtract, and, with help, multiply or divide. This is why he is often called the
“father of the computing era” (see below).MECHANICAL AND ELECTRONIC
CALCULATING DEVICES
Who built the firstknown adding machine?
No one knows who built the first adding machine, although many historians believe it
was German mathematician Wilhelm Schickard (1592–1635) who first invented a
mechanical calculator in 1623 based on Napier’s Bones (see above). Schickard and his
family perished from the Bubonic plague. It was not until the mid-20th century that
his notes and letters were discovered. They showed diagrams of how to construct his
machine. Schickard apparently built two prototypes: One was destroyed in a fire and
352 the other one’s location is unknown, if it survived at all. His device, which he called
Scottish mathematician John Napier designed a sys-
tem for representing multiplication tables called
“Napier’s Bones.” Library of Congress.In this example of how to use Napier’s Bones, 63 is
multiplied by 6 to get the correct result of 378.