PHILOSOPHY
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz: The Art of Thinking CAMERON ALLAN
If the works of only one mathematician could be preserved, I would strongly argue for the preservation of the works of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. He was a German mathematician and philosopher who contributed extensively to 17th century developments in mathematical fields. His most noted contributions are the development of binary number theory as well as notation and proof for differential and integral calculus. Whilst it is the common viewpoint that the development of Calculus should be attributed to Newton, I believe that it is the works of Leibniz that allowed the further development of calculus into its many uses today: Leibniz’s first principles approach allowed for the further differentiation of trigonometric functions as well as simple functions of x. Leibniz’s approach was unique; by looking at the rates of change of functions generally, he was able to prove his infinitesimal calculus with one simple equation. This is precisely what sets Leibniz apart from other mathematicians’ developments in calculus.
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