John Wallis
Sign in to saveEnglish mathematician (*1616 – †1703)
AI overview
John Wallis was an English mathematician who lived from 1616 to 1703 and made important contributions to the development of calculus and mathematical notation. His work helped establish modern mathematical methods and symbolism that influenced how mathematics is studied and taught today.
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Key facts
- Born
- 3 December [ O.S. 23 November ] 1616, Ashford, Kent , England
- Died
- 8 November 1703 (1703-11-08) (aged 86) [ O.S. 28 October 1703 ] , Oxford , Oxfordshire , England
- Education
- Felsted School , Emmanuel College, Cambridge
- Known for
- Wallis product , Inventing the symbol ∞ , Extending Cavalieri's quadrature formula , Coining the term " momentum "
- Spouse
- Susanna Glynde (m. 1645)
- Children
- 3, including Anne, Lady Blencowe
- Fields
- Mathematics
Article
John Wallis (/ˈwɒlɪs/; Latin: Wallisius; 3 December [O.S. 23 November] 1616 – 8 November [O.S. 28 October] 1703) was an English clergyman and mathematician, who is given partial credit for the development of infinitesimal calculus.
Between 1643 and 1689 Wallis served as chief cryptographer for Parliament and, later, the royal court. He extended Cavalieri's method of indivisibles through the use of interpolation. Applying Kepler's principle of continuity, he developed techniques for the evaluation of integrals. He is credited with introducing the symbol ∞ to represent the concept of infinity. He similarly used 1/∞ for an infinitesimal. He was a contemporary of Isaac Newton and one of the greatest intellectuals of the early modern mathematics.