Evolution Of Mathematics: From Napier's Bones To Electronic Calculators

The Importance of Mathematics in Modern Life

Mathematics is a crucial part, especially in modern life; without it, life has no much meaning. From the olden days, mathematics existed and has undergone a series of changes in the methods and approaches used to calculate them. Before the arrival of modern-day electronic calculators, people would spend time doing calculations by hand, which was considered a profession. Mechanical calculators, as well as logarithm techniques, were often engaged for use in banks, by astronomers, and other scientists. Without history, contemporary people will tend not to appreciate technology and assume that things like electronic calculators were there and are normal life gadgets.

The process of mathematics discovery can be regarded as an evolution of ideas, from the use of primitive logarithms, which were tedious and involved many steps, to the modern-day use of electronic and digital calculators. The use of logarithms was first coined by John Napier between 1550 and 1617. The first copy of his book, which was published in Latin, came to light in 1614 and was followed by other books he wrote on many subjects such as mathematics and religion. John Napier also invented a device used for performing long multiplications named "Napier's Bones." Coming to the 17th century, Johannes Kepler, another scientist, appreciated the work of Napier by using his logarithms in his calculations, which led to the development of the laws of planetary motion. His calculations would have taken several years, but Napier's logarithms helped him shorten his calculation, and he had to congratulate and acknowledge this work through a letter. Kepler's laws of planetary motion formed the basis of evidence supporting the theory of universal gravitation as put forward by Sir Isaac Newton. The transition and inter-dependence of ideas from one scholar to the other and acknowledgment of others' work as useful in their discoveries grants us the freedom to say that the mathematical discovery process is not a stop shot goal but an evolution of ideas.    

Modern mathematics has better shaped the way we think, approach, and perceive our daily calculations. Electronic calculators found a way of shortening long, complex mathematics steps into simple short integrated calculations. This can be a reason why researchers claim that the current generation tends to be much different from the old generation in terms of the level of reasoning, complexity, and creativity. Nevertheless, technology is appreciated and welcomed as a life-changing aspect. Modern computing has doubled the life of every mathematician by making life hustle free in calculation and doing away with iterative long-step calculations. However, in recent decades scientists such as Laplace would attest that mathematics evolution doubles life where he quoted logarithms shortening labor 200 years after its discovery.  

Currently, most fields, if not all, require mathematics knowledge to effectively undertake daily routine activities. Although professionals study mathematics for entry into their chosen career, its application cannot be limited to studied discipline. There are a vast array of applications from across all fields that apply mathematics skills, especially in the contemporary dynamic life fast with technology. Some contents or ideas in mathematics published papers that seemed useless sometimes back are finding their application in the current world, implying that even the basic and abstract mathematics such as logic and number theory is very useful. Hardy's mathematics on number theory was 50 years ago regarded as the least useful but is currently a vital prerequisite to various applications such as financial records protection, remote satellite data transmission, and automated system control.

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