jan 1, 1655 - John Wallis
Description:
John Wallis writes Arithmetica Infinitorum, in which he develops the standard notation for powers, extending them from positive integers to rational numbers. He is credited with the symbol ∞for infinity and 1/∞for infinitesimal. In his Opera Mathematica, he introduces the term “continued fraction.”Added to timeline:
Date:
jan 1, 1655
Now
~ 370 years ago