William Oughtred: A Great Seventeenth-Century Teacher of Mathematics

Name: William Oughtred: A Great Seventeenth-Century Teacher of Mathematics
Author: Florian Cajori

By Florian Cajori

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Biographies History - Early Modern (c. 1450-1750)Mathematics Teaching & Education

About This Book

A scholarly portrait traces the life, career, and teaching methods of a seventeenth-century mathematician, recounting his education, school and parish posts, and habits as a teacher. It surveys his principal and minor writings, with close attention to an influential algebra treatise, his symbolic innovations, and a contested claim to the invention of the slide rule. The study examines his impact on pupils and contemporaries, the diffusion of his notation, and debates over priority and influence, and concludes with an account of his pedagogical convictions, especially the use of visual reasoning and instruments in mathematical instruction.

About the Author

Florian Cajori

Florian Cajori was a mathematician and historian of mathematics known for his scholarly contributions to the understanding of mathematical instruments and education in the early modern period. His notable works include "On the History of Gunter's Scale and the Slide Rule During the Seventeenth Century," which explores the development and significance of these mathematical tools, and "William Oughtred: A Great Seventeenth-Century Teacher of Mathematics," a study of the influential mathematician and educator. Cajori's research provides valuable insights into the evolution of mathematical thought and practice during a pivotal era in the history of mathematics.