mathematics - How did the obelus ÷ come to stand for division ...
The formula with the obelus is merely tabulated by Rahn with no text, and if the motivation was known, Cajori would have mentioned it in History Of Mathematical Notations, which is a classical treatise. It is likely that Rahn (or Pell) simply repurposed the minus sign symbol, it was used from Riese's algebra textbook (1525) onward.
How did Hindu-Arabic Numerals get their shapes?
Nov 5, 2023 · I’ve noticed a recurring post on social media that presents an image suggesting the shapes of Hindu-Arabic numerals are connected to the angles within their design: This claim seems dubious to me....
notation - History of Science and Mathematics Stack Exchange
Jan 7, 2019 · Stack Exchange Network. Stack Exchange network consists of 183 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers.
How did Ruffini discover his method of polynomial division?
Dec 30, 2018 · Stack Exchange Network. Stack Exchange network consists of 183 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers.
Why choose symbol $\\sum$ to be the summation operator in …
See Forian Cajori, A History of Mathematical Notations (1928, also Dover reprint), Vol.II, page 61:. 438.The sign $\Sigma$ for summation is due to Leonhard Euler ...
Why is the radical symbol $\\sqrt{}$ called "radical"?
"Radical" comes from Latin "radicalis", having roots, an equivalent "radix" was also commonly used earlier. While Rudolff did use the radix in 1525 his did not have the overbar on top, now called vinculum, Latin for
How did Hertzsprung-Russell diagrams end up so confusing?
Sep 22, 2020 · HR diagrams show in which of several sequences individual stars fall, each respecting the rough principle that hotter stars are of higher luminosity. (Sequences other than the main sequence may ben...
When did contemporary practices for indicating ecliptic longitude ...
Aug 28, 2021 · Ecliptic longitude may be expressed in degrees; my understanding is that prior to the 19th century, expressions of ecliptic longitude contained zodiacal signs. What contemporaneous accounts describ...
Dimension of the candela unit: What does J stand for?
Aug 3, 2019 · The J symbol can represent the unit of energy but it's also the symbol for the dimension of the candela (or luminous intensity). For the energy unit, it clearly comes from the family name of the E...
How did the theory of the Horus-eye fractions originate?
Jun 15, 2015 · In a book, I saw a short anecdote about something called the "Horus-eye" hieroglyph, supposedly used in parts to represent fractions (the book dates to 1997). Wikipedia has an article on the symbol...