03-11-2013, 12:17 AM | #11146 |
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That actually makes sense.
You're giving Mr Recorde a little too much credit, by the way. |
03-11-2013, 03:31 AM | #11147 |
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Was it the use of "x"?
Was he French or Belgian? (I'm assuming you haven't changed the spelling of his given name, eg from Roberto to Robert.) |
03-11-2013, 04:59 AM | #11148 |
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No, not "x", but a good suggestion! Clue: you almost certainly encountered this invention even earlier than you did the use of "x".
Not French or Belgian, and I haven't changed the spelling of his name. I'm about to head for bed. Further clues in the morning if necessary. |
03-11-2013, 07:23 AM | #11149 |
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The plus sign? Using the cross for adition?
Or, more general, all these signs, + - * : ? |
03-11-2013, 09:29 AM | #11150 |
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Was it the " number" zero?
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03-11-2013, 09:48 AM | #11151 |
Now what?
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The infinity symbol: ∞?
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03-11-2013, 10:11 AM | #11152 |
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π? ......
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03-11-2013, 10:29 AM | #11153 |
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03-11-2013, 02:04 PM | #11154 |
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03-11-2013, 03:14 PM | #11155 | |
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Quote:
No, not that. Not that, either. Nor that. |
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03-11-2013, 04:19 PM | #11156 |
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Square root?
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03-11-2013, 04:22 PM | #11157 |
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Looking at Biili's very close guesses, it looks like = and / were missing. Is it one/both of those?
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03-11-2013, 04:35 PM | #11158 | |||
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Quote:
Quote:
Wikipedia also credits Recorde with inventing the + sign, but that appears quite a bit earlier in various German texts. Recorde does, however, appear to have been the first to use the + and - signs in a printed English text. The same Whetstone of Witte includes: Quote:
Last edited by Shayne Parkinson; 03-11-2013 at 06:03 PM. |
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03-11-2013, 05:58 PM | #11159 |
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It's interesting and surprising that the equal sign has been "invented" this late. I would have thought that the old Greeks used it already. Nice question!
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03-11-2013, 06:07 PM | #11160 |
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