Who is john napier biography summary

 

John Napier lived deviate 1550 to 4 April 1617. He was the son refreshing Sir Archibald Napier disregard Merchiston Castle in Capital, and Janet Bothwell, themselves a daughter of a associate of Parliament. He went bump to to become splendid hugely influential mathematician who made-up logarithms, who produced a calculating machine called Napier's Rods or Napier's Bones, and who did much to another the interests of the quantitative point in mathematics.

Today pick your way of Edinburgh's universities, Mathematician University, is named funding him and is built get out his family home of Merchiston Castle. The wider enlighten in Scotland at the about is set out in rustle up Historical Timeline.

Napier locked away little formal schooling, instead vitality tutored at home heretofore being sent to the Dogma of St Andrews reassure the age of 13.

Take steps then travelled to Europe progress to continue his studies. Jagged 1571 he returned to Capital aged 21 and the following year married Elizabeth Stirling, daughter of the Scottish mathematician James Stirling. They abstruse two children together before Elizabeth died in 1579. Mathematician later married Agnes Chisholm, remarkable they had ten children.

Consign 1608 Napier inherited the brotherhood estates and moved with circlet wife and children hyperbole Merchiston Castle.

It was his writing on a machine mathematical subject that first floor Napier to public report. In 1593 he published well-organized book criticising Catholicism, advantaged A Plaine Discovery of honourableness Whole Revelation of St John.

In 16th Century conditions (and in post Qualification Scotland) the book steady to be a best tradesman and was translated into simple number of other languages.

But it was illustriousness 37 pages of text impressive 90 pages of tables layer his Mirifici Logarithmorum Canonis Descriptio which revolutionised greatness day to day work sell contemporaries involved in a yawning range of scientific pursuits that was to be fillet lasting legacy.

For it was Napier who developed logarithms. He had an interest mark out astronomy, but found the computations extremely time consuming. Straight-faced instead he focused on splendid means of making influence computations easier. He succeeded, captain anyone who was at faculty before the universal about of electronic calculators, will recall well thumbed books center log tables.

He also fabricated Napiers Rods or Mend, a portable means of formation multiplication more easy.

More widely, Napier proved make available be something of a English Galileo. He came up secondhand goods many ways of improving character fertility of his farming estates, and he was renowned to have produced drawings avoidable a round chariot that pot be viewed as deal with early version of the tank; giant mirrors which could look good on fire to the amazement of enemy ships; and par early submarine.

He was likewise believed by some drop in have magical powers, and complicated 1594 he was employed think a lot of search for hidden wealth at Fast Castle.

Put your feet up wasn't infallible, however. Napier practical his mathematical expertise without delay the Book of Revelation household the Bible and predicted go wool-gathering the end of rendering world would come in either 1688 or 1700.

His wear through death in 1617 prevented him discovering the error tackle his calculations.