John Napier
John Napier (he also signed as Neper, and Nepair)[1] 1550 – 4 April 1617) was a Scottish landowner, nicknamed "Marvellous Merchiston". He was a mathematician, physicist, and astronomer. He was the 8th Laird of Merchiston. His Latinized name was Ioannes Neper.
John Napier | |
|---|---|
 John Napier (1550–1617) | |
| Born | 1550 |
| Died | 4 April 1617 (aged 66–67) Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Alma mater | University of St Andrews |
| Known for | Logarithms Napier's bones Decimal notation |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematician |
| Influenced | Henry Briggs |
John Napier is best known as the discoverer of logarithms and Napier's constant. He also invented the so-called "Napier's bones" and made common the use of the decimal point in arithmetic and mathematics.[2]
References
- "Napier". Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.
- Cajori F. A history of mathematics. 2nd ed, p149. New York: Macmillan.
Napier's 'bones' were used to find the products and quotients of numbers
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