Mathematicians born on this day:
1724 : Franz Aepinus |
Mathematicians who died on this day:
1048 : Al-Biruni |
George Pólya | Niccolo Fontana | François Viète |
Niccolo Fontana Tartaglia (1500 - 1557)
[The poem in which he revealed the secret of solving the cubic to Cardan]
When the cube and the things together
Are equal to some discrete number, *
Find two other numbers differing in this one.
Then you will keep this as a habit
That their product shall always be equal
Exactly to the cube of a third of the things. **
The remainder then as a general rule
Of their cube roots subtracted
Will be equal to your principal thing. ***
* [Solve x3 + cx = d]
** [Find u, v such that u - v = d and uv = (c/3)3 ]
*** [Then x = 3√u - 3√v ]
Another quotation by one of today's mathematicians
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School of Mathematics and Statistics University of St Andrews, Scotland |
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