Logarithms and black magic in Renaissance
Scotland:
remembering John Napier
(1550-1617)
John Fauvel, Open University
5.30 pm Friday 1 December 2000H9 Lecture Theatre, Merchiston Campus, Napier Unversity, 10 Colinton Road, Edinburgh
Report on this event in ICMS News No 10
John Napier is best
known now for his invention of logarithms, but he also worked to ease the
burden of calculations in other ways, as well as proving the Pope to be the
Antichrist and gaining a reputation for black magic. This talk to commemorate
the 450th anniversary of his birth focuses on his contributions to
calculational science, in the context of the Scotland of his time, and on how
his work has been perceived since. John Fauvel is senior lecturer in mathematics at the Open University and a former president of the British Society for the History of Mathematics. He is the author of several publications on the history of mathematics and is currently working on a book on the history of mathematics and music.
After the talk (around 7 p.m.), the audience is invited to the Boardroom of the Tower of Merchiston (John Napier's birthplace) for a glass of wine and a tour of the Napier Museum.
Admission is free and tickets will not be issued. Entry is on a first-come first-served basis. For more information about getting to Merchiston Campus, please call 0131 455 2636 or visit www.multimap.com for a map of the area (the red circle indicates Napier University) for directions.
Related Links
- For more information on John Napier visit The MacTutor History of Mathematics archive
- For more information on John Fauvel's work visit the Pure Mathematics Department at The Open University
- The British Society for the History of Mathematics
- Mathematics at Napier University