History of Calculus

Synopsis

Calculus, the mathematical study of rates of change and the accumulation of quantities, is often regarded as one of the most important scientific discoveries in history. While it is widely claimed that Sir Isaac Newton discovered calculus at the age of 23, this oversimplified narrative is both misleading and historically inaccurate. In this talk, I will trace the incremental development of ideas behind calculus and examine whether this attribution holds up from a historical perspective: Starting with the contributions of Eudoxus of Cnidus and Archimedes, continuing through the works of Cavalieri, Fermat, Descartes, John Wallis, Newton, and Leibniz, and concluding with the advancements made by Bernoulli and Euler. History shows us time and time again, that there is no self-made person. We all, indeed, stand on the shoulders of giants.