Hudde

Johann van Waveren Hudde

Born: 23 April 1628 in Amsterdam, Netherlands
Died: 15 April 1704 in Amsterdam, Netherlands

Previous (Chronologically) Next     Biographies Index

Previous ( Alphabetically) Next          Welcome page
Johann Hudde served for 30 years as burgomaster of Amsterdam. He was introduced to mathematics by his teacher van Schooten. He worked on maxima and minima and the theory of equations. Hudde gave an ingenious method to find multiple roots of an equation which is essentially the modern method of finding the highest common factor of a polynomial and its derivative.

He was the first to treat the coefficients in algebra without considering whether they were positive or negative in De reductione aequationum . In 1656 he gave the power series expansion of ln(1+x). The following year he directed the flooding of parts of Holland to block the advance of the French army.

Hudde corresponded with Huygens on problems of canal maintenance, probability and life expectancy. Leibniz studied Hudde's manuscripts and reported finding many excellent results. The manuscripts must have had an important influence on Leibniz's introduction of the calculus.

References elsewhere in this archive:

Tell me more about Hudde's influence on the development of calculus

Other Web sites:

Rice University, USA

References:

  1. Dictionary of Scientific Biography
  2. Biography in Encyclopaedia Britannica
  3. K Haas, Die mathematischen Arbeiten von Johann Hudde, Centaurus 4 (1956), 235-284. 
Previous (Chronologically) Next     Biographies Index

Previous ( Alphabetically) Next          Welcome page

History Topics Index              Famous curves index

Chronologies                           Birthplace Map

Mathematicians of the day  Anniversaries for the year

Search Form   Simple Search Form   Search Suggestions
JOC/EFR February 1996