from question given from the textbook....they ask our opinion about who do we think deserves the title of "Inventor of Calculus"....SO...
Sir Isaac Newton and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz are considered the inventors of calculus. Calculus is mostly the study of infinity and the infinitesimal (small without bound; see Two Equals One?). And these two people certainly made great discoveries to advance this field of mathematics. But it must be said that they had many predecessors, like Archimedes and Euclid who dealt with the infinite and infinitesimal in very natural ways.
Besides, many of the ideas of these two concepts were being discussed and studied in the years before Newton and Leibniz worked on them. Pierre de Fermat and Isaac Barrow made important discoveries before Newton and Leibniz. Newton began creating calculus around 1664-1666, but did not publish. Some people were aware of what he was doing, through letters and papers which Newton showed to people. He did not publish until 1687 and later. Leibniz first studied calculus around 1672-1676, and published in 1684 and 1686. The ideas were similar, but the notation was different. And many of the lesser discoveries were different. Nowadays, our calculus notation is mostly that of Leibniz.
Besides, many of the ideas of these two concepts were being discussed and studied in the years before Newton and Leibniz worked on them. Pierre de Fermat and Isaac Barrow made important discoveries before Newton and Leibniz. Newton began creating calculus around 1664-1666, but did not publish. Some people were aware of what he was doing, through letters and papers which Newton showed to people. He did not publish until 1687 and later. Leibniz first studied calculus around 1672-1676, and published in 1684 and 1686. The ideas were similar, but the notation was different. And many of the lesser discoveries were different. Nowadays, our calculus notation is mostly that of Leibniz.
In the late 1690's British scientists began accusing Leibniz of having plagiarized(ciplak) Newton's great discovery. Nowadays, it seems unlikely that Leibniz knew very much about what Newton had discovered; and his discoveries would seem to be mostly original. Of course, neither Newton's nor Leibniz' discoveries were totally original. In 1711, Leibniz appealed to the Royal Society of London, of which he was a member and Newton was President, to clear up these accusations. In public, Newton pretended to have nothing to do with the scandal, remaining silent about it. But, it seems that he secretly was the motivating force behind the accusations.
The Royal Society appointed a commission, and essentially found Leibniz guilty of plagiarism.
The Royal Society appointed a commission, and essentially found Leibniz guilty of plagiarism.
By taking sides against Leibniz, Newton and his followers refused to use Leibniz' superior notation. Newton founded astrodynamics, based largely on calculus, with which he mostly solved the motions of the planets. After Newton, British mathematics went into a decline, while German mathematics (and the mathematics of other countries) prospered.Today, Newton and Leibniz are considered the co-inventors of calculus.What is important to keep in perspective is that no matter who actually discovered calculus first, both Newton and Leibniz made great contributions to the advancement of mathematical processes, and both deserve credit for that.
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| Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz |
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| Isaac Newton |
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