Europe: A History (261 page)

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(2) The Origins of Standard Mathematical Notation: A Selection
. (After Cajori.)

Sign		Date	Probable first use
	latus, square root	—	Roman
1/2	fractional line	1202	Leonardo da Pisa, Liber abbaci
%	per cent	1425	Italian commercial usage
+	(et) plus	1489	J. Widman, Behennde und hubsche Rechnung auf
−	minus	1489	alien Kaufmanschaften
	plus	1494	Luca Pacioli, Summa de arithmetica (Venice)
	minus	1494
M	multiplicatio	1544	M. Stifel, Arithmetica integra (Germany)
D	divisio
=	equality	1557	R. Recorde, Ground of Artes (Oxford)
•	decimal fraction	1585	Simon Stevin, La thiende (Antwerp)
±	plus/minus	1626	J. Girard (France)
×	multiplication	1631	W. Oughtred, Clavis mathematica (London)
	proportion	1631
	difference	1631
>	greater than	1631	T. Harriot, Artis analyticae praxis (London)
less than	1631
X 2	powers	1634	P. Herigone, Cursus mathematicus (Paris)
∞	infinity	1655	J. Wallis, De sectionibus conicis (Oxford)
	similar	1655
÷	division	1659	J. H. Rahn, Teutsche Algebra (Nuremberg)
	therefore	1659
:	ratio	1669	V. Wing, Astronomica britannica (London)
	square root	1669
π	pi	1706	W. Jones, Synopsis palmariorum matheseos
( )	aggregation	1726	J. Herman, Commentarii , i (St Petersburg)
e	logarithm base	1736	L Euler, Mechanica , i
E	Euler’s Number	1736
C	Euler’s Constant	1736	L Euler, Commentarii (SI Petersburg)
∫	summa, number theory	1750	L Euler, De numeris amicalibus
Σ	summation	1755	L Euler, Institutiones calculi differentialis
≡	congruence	1801	F. Gauss, Disquisitiones arithmeticae
	since, because	1805	Gentleman’s Mathematical Companion

The Growth of the Royal Domain in France, to 1547