Nicolas Chuquet
Encyclopedia
Nicolas Chuquet was a French
mathematician
whose great work, Triparty en la science des nombres http://www.miakinen.net/vrac/nombres#lettres_zillions http://hexadecimal.florencetime.net/chuquet/triparty.htm, was unpublished in his lifetime. Most of it, however, was copied without attribution by Estienne de La Roche
in his 1520 textbook, l'Arismetique. In the 1870s, scholar Aristide Marre discovered Chuquet's manuscript and published it in 1880. The manuscript contained notes in de la Roche's handwriting.
Chuquet was born in Paris
, France
, and died in Lyon
. His thinking was clearly far ahead of its time. He invented his own notation for algebraic concepts and exponentiation
. He may have been the first mathematician to recognize zero and negative numbers as exponents.
His book shows a huge number divided into groups of six digits, and in a short passage he states that the groups can be called
Because of this, he is sometimes credited as the inventor of the modern names for large numbers. However, this is an oversimplification. The word million had been in use centuries prior to Chuquet.
In 1475, Jehan Adam
recorded the words "bymillion" and "trimillion" (for 1012 and 1018) and it is believed that these words or similar ones were in general use at that time. Chuquet was, however, the original author of the earliest work using of a systematic, extended series of names ending in -illion or -yllion.
The system in which the names million, billion, trillion, etc. refer to powers of one million is sometimes referred to as the Chuquet system.
Around 1550, Jacques Peletier du Mans
took a system based on powers of 106, and added the term "milliard" for 109. This system was then used in England and Germany and part of the rest of Europe. This system is sometimes referred to as the Chuquet-Peletier system.
Much later, in France and in the USA, a different short scale
system became established where the term billion signifies 109. Last century, England and other English-speaking countries joined the USA and other countries in using the short scale system; whereas, France rejoined Germany, most of Europe, and much of the world in the Chuquet-Peletier, or long scale
, system.
What is undeniable is that Chuquet was the author of the earliest system (published in the works Larismetique (1520) by Estienne de la Roche without attribution and Triparty en la science des nombres (written before 1488 but only published 1870) by Nicolas Chuquet) for names of large numbers by combining Latin-derived prefixes with the suffix -illion.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
mathematician
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
whose great work, Triparty en la science des nombres http://www.miakinen.net/vrac/nombres#lettres_zillions http://hexadecimal.florencetime.net/chuquet/triparty.htm, was unpublished in his lifetime. Most of it, however, was copied without attribution by Estienne de La Roche
Estienne de La Roche
Estienne de La Roche was a French mathematician.Sometimes known as Estienne de Villefranche, La Roche was born in Lyon, but his family also owned property in Villefranche-sur-Saône, where he lived during his youth. He studied mathematics with Nicolas Chuquet. Having in his possession Chuquet's...
in his 1520 textbook, l'Arismetique. In the 1870s, scholar Aristide Marre discovered Chuquet's manuscript and published it in 1880. The manuscript contained notes in de la Roche's handwriting.
Chuquet was born in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and died in Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
. His thinking was clearly far ahead of its time. He invented his own notation for algebraic concepts and exponentiation
Exponentiation
Exponentiation is a mathematical operation, written as an, involving two numbers, the base a and the exponent n...
. He may have been the first mathematician to recognize zero and negative numbers as exponents.
His book shows a huge number divided into groups of six digits, and in a short passage he states that the groups can be called
- "million, the second mark byllion, the third mark tryllion, the fourth quadrillion, the fifth quyillion, the sixth sixlion, the seventh septyllion, the eighth ottyllion, the ninth nonyllion and so on with others as far as you wish to go.
Because of this, he is sometimes credited as the inventor of the modern names for large numbers. However, this is an oversimplification. The word million had been in use centuries prior to Chuquet.
In 1475, Jehan Adam
Jehan Adam
Jehan Adam was a French mathematician who flourished in the 15th century. He was secretary to Nicholle Tilhart, who was notary, secretary and auditor of accounts to King Louis XI of France....
recorded the words "bymillion" and "trimillion" (for 1012 and 1018) and it is believed that these words or similar ones were in general use at that time. Chuquet was, however, the original author of the earliest work using of a systematic, extended series of names ending in -illion or -yllion.
The system in which the names million, billion, trillion, etc. refer to powers of one million is sometimes referred to as the Chuquet system.
Around 1550, Jacques Peletier du Mans
Jacques Peletier du Mans
Jacques Pelletier du Mans, also spelled Peletier, in Latin: Peletarius , was a humanist, poet and mathematician of the French Renaissance....
took a system based on powers of 106, and added the term "milliard" for 109. This system was then used in England and Germany and part of the rest of Europe. This system is sometimes referred to as the Chuquet-Peletier system.
Much later, in France and in the USA, a different short scale
Long and short scales
The long and short scales are two of several different large-number naming systems used throughout the world for integer powers of ten. Many countries, including most in continental Europe, use the long scale whereas most English-speaking countries use the short scale...
system became established where the term billion signifies 109. Last century, England and other English-speaking countries joined the USA and other countries in using the short scale system; whereas, France rejoined Germany, most of Europe, and much of the world in the Chuquet-Peletier, or long scale
Long and short scales
The long and short scales are two of several different large-number naming systems used throughout the world for integer powers of ten. Many countries, including most in continental Europe, use the long scale whereas most English-speaking countries use the short scale...
, system.
What is undeniable is that Chuquet was the author of the earliest system (published in the works Larismetique (1520) by Estienne de la Roche without attribution and Triparty en la science des nombres (written before 1488 but only published 1870) by Nicolas Chuquet) for names of large numbers by combining Latin-derived prefixes with the suffix -illion.
- "... Item lon doit savoir que ung million vault mille milliers de unitez, et ung byllion vault mille milliers de millions, et [ung] tryllion vault mille milliers de byllions, et ung quadrillion vault mille milliers de tryllions et ainsi des aultres : Et de ce en est pose ung exemple nombre divise et punctoye ainsi que devant est dit, tout lequel nombre monte 745324 tryllions 804300 byllions 700023 millions 654321. Exemple : 745324'8043000'700023'654321 ..."
- Item: one should know that a million is worth a thousand thousand units, and a byllion is worth a thousand thousand millions, and tryillion is worth a thousand thousand byllions, and a quadrillion is worth a thousand thousand tryllions, and so on for the others. And an example of this follows, a number divided up and punctuated as previously described, the whole number being seven hundred forty-five thousand three hundred and twenty-four tryllions, 804300 byllions 700023 millions 654321 ...
| Short scale comparison |
Chuquet | Peletier | Systematics | Base 10 | SI Prefix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Units of measurement A unit of measurement is a definite magnitude of a physical quantity, defined and adopted by convention and/or by law, that is used as a standard for measurement of the same physical quantity. Any other value of the physical quantity can be expressed as a simple multiple of the unit of... |
Units of measurement A unit of measurement is a definite magnitude of a physical quantity, defined and adopted by convention and/or by law, that is used as a standard for measurement of the same physical quantity. Any other value of the physical quantity can be expressed as a simple multiple of the unit of... |
Million 0 | 10 0 | ||
| Million 0.5 | 10 3 | ||||
Million One million or one thousand thousand, is the natural number following 999,999 and preceding 1,000,001. The word is derived from the early Italian millione , from mille, "thousand", plus the augmentative suffix -one.In scientific notation, it is written as or just 106... |
Million One million or one thousand thousand, is the natural number following 999,999 and preceding 1,000,001. The word is derived from the early Italian millione , from mille, "thousand", plus the augmentative suffix -one.In scientific notation, it is written as or just 106... |
Million 1 | 10 6 | ||
| Million 1.5 | 10 9 | ||||
| Million 2 | 10 12 | ||||
Quadrillion Quadrillion may mean either of the two numbers :* 1,000,000,000,000,000 – for all short scale countries; increasingly common meaning in English language usage* 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 – for all... |
Million 2.5 | 10 15 | |||
| Million 3 | 10 18 | ||||
| Million 3.5 | 10 21 | ||||
| Million 4 | 10 24 |
See also
- English-language numerals
- Jacques Peletier du MansJacques Peletier du MansJacques Pelletier du Mans, also spelled Peletier, in Latin: Peletarius , was a humanist, poet and mathematician of the French Renaissance....
- List of numbers
- Long and short scalesLong and short scalesThe long and short scales are two of several different large-number naming systems used throughout the world for integer powers of ten. Many countries, including most in continental Europe, use the long scale whereas most English-speaking countries use the short scale...
- Names of large numbersNames of large numbersThis article lists and discusses the usage and derivation of names of large numbers, together with their possible extensions.The following table lists those names of large numbers which are found in many English dictionaries and thus have a special claim to being "real words"...
- ZillionZillionA zillion is a fictitious, indefinitely large number.Zillion or Zillions may also refer to:* Zillion , a 1987 Japanese anime series, and its spinoffs:** Zillion: Burning Night, a 1988 direct-to-video release...