Edmund Gunter in 17th-Century England
his Connections and Contributions to Mathematics
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.23925/2178-2911.2025v32p3-27Keywords:
History of mathematics, Edmund Gunter, mathematicsAbstract
In the 17th century, England, under the influence of commercial and scientific advancement, excelled in practical mathematics, particularly in navigation. Edmund Gunter, a mathematician and clergyman, became a professor of astronomy at Gresham College, a London institution founded by Thomas Gresham that bridged theory and practice. Gunter developed instruments such as the Sector and the Cross-staff, essential for navigation, and published treatises like Canon Triangvlorvm (1620), which integrated logarithms and trigonometry. His collaborations with Henry Briggs and William Oughtred advanced the practical applications of mathematics. Gunter distinguished himself by developing and writing works in English, broadening access to knowledge. His contributions influenced navigators, cartographers, and scholars, marking the transition between theoretical and practical mathematics. It is important to emphasize that this is an excerpt from a dissertation defended in 2022.
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