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François Viète

Early Modern

François Viète, known in Latin as Franciscus Vieta, was a French mathematician whose work on new algebra was an important step towards modern algebra, due to his innovative use of letters as parameters in equations, for which he is sometimes called the father of modern algebraic notation. Born in 1540 at Fontenay-le-Comte in present-day Vendée, he was a lawyer by trade and served as a privy councillor to both Henry III and Henry IV of France. He studied law at Poitiers, graduating as a Bachelor of Laws in 1559, and began his career as an attorney in his native town. In 1564 he entered the service of Antoinette d'Aubeterre, Lady Soubise. He died on 23 February 1603.

Facts
Biography
Gender
Male 1
Connections

Attributed Works

Source Mathematical Notation
Source Viète's Formula (Wikipedia)

In Branch

Source Wikipedia: François Viète

Proofs Credited

Source Wolfram MathWorld: Vieta's Formulas
In the Other Atlases

Nationality

Also in Geography Atlas: the nationality of this subject.

Sources
1. Wikipedia: François Viète
  • Lead paragraph
    He was a lawyer by trade, and served as a privy councillor to both Henry III and Henry IV of France.
  • In Branch: Algebra, Lead
    whose work on new algebra was an important step towards modern algebra
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Mathematical Notation
Attributed Works: Mathematical Notation, Lead sentence, attribution
Quote, Attributed Works: Mathematical Notation, Lead sentence, attribution
first introduced by François Viète
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Wolfram MathWorld: Vieta's Formulas
Wolfram MathWorldProofs Credited: Vieta's Formulas, Lead
Quote, Proofs Credited: Vieta's Formulas, Lead
The theorem was proved by Viète (also known as Vieta, 1579) for positive roots only, and the general theorem was proved by Girard.
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Viète's Formula (Wikipedia)
Attributed Works: Viète's Formula, Lead
Quote, Attributed Works: Viète's Formula, Lead
The formula is named after François Viète, who published it in 1593
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