Mathematicians: Albert Girard and Rene Descartes

Mathematicians and Their Contributions

• Albert Girard, a French mathematician and musician, introduced the abbreviations 'sin', 'cos', and 'tan' in his 1626 book on trigonometry.
• He also proposed the fundamental theorem of algebra, stating that an equation of power n necessarily has n roots.

Rene Descartes

• A French mathematician, philosopher, and scientist, known as the father of modern philosophy, modern mathematics, and analytical geometry.
• He introduced the rectangular coordinate plane, also known as the Cartesian plane, which allows for the location of a point to be measured using X and Y coordinates.
• Descartes is famous for his quote "I think, therefore I am."

Cartesian Plane

• The Cartesian plane was developed by Descartes after observing a fly on the ceiling and wondering how to describe its position.
• The plane enables the description of an object's position with ease, specificity, and accuracy.

Blaise Pascal

• A French physicist and philosopher who invented the mechanical calculator.

Charles Francis Richter

• An American physicist and seismologist who developed the logarithmic earthquake magnitude scale in the 1930s.
• The Richter scale measures the energy released by an earthquake using the formula: R = log(I/I0), where I is the actual intensity of the earthquake and I0 is a baseline intensity for comparison.

Earthquakes

• The strongest earthquake recorded in history occurred in Valdivia, Chile in 1960, with a magnitude of 9.5, resulting in 1,655 deaths, 3,000 injuries, 2 million homeless, and $550 million in economic damage.

Hypatia of Alexandria

• A Greek mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher who lived between 355 and 415 CE in Alexandria.
• She was the first woman mathematician in history, trained by her father, and later became the leading mathematician of Alexandria.
• Hypatia was a popular teacher and lecturer, leading the Neoplatonist school of philosophy in Alexandria.

Mathematicians and Their Contributions

• Albert Girard introduced 'sin', 'cos', and 'tan' abbreviations in his 1626 trigonometry book.
• Girard proposed the fundamental theorem of algebra, stating an equation of power n has n roots.

Rene Descartes

• French mathematician, philosopher, and scientist known as the father of modern philosophy, modern mathematics, and analytical geometry.
• Introduced the rectangular coordinate plane (Cartesian plane) for locating points using X and Y coordinates.
• Famous for the quote "I think, therefore I am."

Cartesian Plane

• Developed by Descartes after observing a fly on the ceiling to describe its position.
• Enables accurate and specific description of an object's position.

Blaise Pascal

• French physicist and philosopher who invented the mechanical calculator.

Charles Francis Richter

• American physicist and seismologist who developed the logarithmic earthquake magnitude scale in the 1930s.
• The Richter scale measures earthquake energy release using the formula: R = log(I/I0), where I is actual intensity and I0 is baseline intensity.

Earthquakes

• Strongest recorded earthquake occurred in Valdivia, Chile in 1960 with a magnitude of 9.5.
• The earthquake resulted in 1,655 deaths, 3,000 injuries, 2 million homeless, and $550 million in economic damage.

Hypatia of Alexandria

• Greek mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher who lived between 355 and 415 CE in Alexandria.
• First woman mathematician in history, trained by her father, and later became the leading mathematician of Alexandria.
• Popular teacher and lecturer, leading the Neoplatonist school of philosophy in Alexandria.

Mathematicians and Their Contributions

• Albert Girard introduced 'sin', 'cos', and 'tan' abbreviations in his 1626 trigonometry book.
• Girard proposed the fundamental theorem of algebra, stating an equation of power n has n roots.

Rene Descartes

• French mathematician, philosopher, and scientist known as the father of modern philosophy, modern mathematics, and analytical geometry.
• Introduced the rectangular coordinate plane (Cartesian plane) for locating points using X and Y coordinates.
• Famous for the quote "I think, therefore I am."

Cartesian Plane

• Developed by Descartes after observing a fly on the ceiling to describe its position.
• Enables accurate and specific description of an object's position.

Blaise Pascal

• French physicist and philosopher who invented the mechanical calculator.

Charles Francis Richter

• American physicist and seismologist who developed the logarithmic earthquake magnitude scale in the 1930s.
• The Richter scale measures earthquake energy release using the formula: R = log(I/I0), where I is actual intensity and I0 is baseline intensity.

Earthquakes

• Strongest recorded earthquake occurred in Valdivia, Chile in 1960 with a magnitude of 9.5.
• The earthquake resulted in 1,655 deaths, 3,000 injuries, 2 million homeless, and $550 million in economic damage.

Hypatia of Alexandria

• Greek mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher who lived between 355 and 415 CE in Alexandria.
• First woman mathematician in history, trained by her father, and later became the leading mathematician of Alexandria.
• Popular teacher and lecturer, leading the Neoplatonist school of philosophy in Alexandria.