Famous Mathematicians

Great thinkers whose work has helped shaped today's world.

Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz

Image of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz

1646

1716

Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, a great mathematician of the 17th century, was a German philosopher, mathematician, and logician. He made significant contributions to various fields, including calculus, philosophy, and physics.

One of Leibniz's most notable contributions to mathematics is his development of calculus, an important branch of mathematics dealing with rates of change and accumulation. He independently developed calculus alongside Sir Isaac Newton, and his notation and concepts are still widely used today.

For school students, understanding Leibniz's work in calculus can open up a whole new world of mathematical possibilities. Calculus helps students understand how quantities change over time, how to find maximum and minimum values of functions, and how to solve real-world problems involving rates of change.

In addition to calculus, Leibniz also made important contributions to combinatorics, a branch of mathematics concerned with counting and arranging objects. His work in this field laid the foundation for various mathematical concepts that are taught in schools, such as permutations, combinations, and probability.

Overall, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz was a visionary mathematician whose work continues to influence and inspire mathematical thinking to this day.

Differentiation  Activity

Appreciate the work of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz by trying some of the maths that this mathematician is known for.

There is an activity called Differentiation that you could try right now. Practise the technique of differentiating polynomials with this self marking exercise.

So there's no better time than the present to learn some mathematics from the past: let's Go!

Transum has many activities for the topic 'Calculus' and recommends you try some of them.

Don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today: let's Go!

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