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Science and Invention - Who Invented Calculus?
Who invented calculus?
English physicist (a scientist specializing in the study of matter, energy, and their interactions) and mathematician Isaac Newton (1642–1727) and German mathematician Gottfried Leibniz (1646–1716) are both credited with inventing calculus, a method of calculation or computation using special symbols. Working independently of one another, they developed calculus as a means of explaining the laws of physics. Newton devised his methods before Leibniz started his work, but Newton did not publish his results quickly enough. Leibniz's theories were published in 1684 and Newton's did not follow until 1693, thus causing much tension between the two esteemed scientists. They both, however, came to the same conclusions using different symbols and notations. Due to the friction caused by their respective discoveries, their systems triggered a brief debate between England and Germany, with each country using its...
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