*Rene Descartes (jan 1, 1596 – jan 1, 1650)
Description:
Used constants and variables as notation: constants were letters at the beginning of the alphabet and variables were letters at the end of the alphabet.Used superscripts for exponents
René Descartes discovers analytic geometry (Pierre de Fermat claimed that he also discovered it independently).[Note that while Nicole Oresme developed a system of rectangular coordinates in the 1300s, he did not extend this mathematically as did Descartes.
Added to timeline:
Date:
jan 1, 1596
jan 1, 1650
~ 54 years