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Napier's bones is a manually operated calculating device created by John Napier of Merchiston, Scotland for the calculation of products and quotients of numbers. The method was based on lattice multiplication, and also called rabdology, a word invented by Napier. Napier published his version in 1617. [1]
He also invented the so-called "Napier's bones" and made common the use of the decimal point in arithmetic and mathematics. Napier's birthplace, Merchiston Tower in Edinburgh, is now part of the facilities of Edinburgh Napier University. There is a memorial to him at St Cuthbert's at the west side of Edinburgh. [2]
The first device, which by then was already popularly used and known as Napier's bones, was a set of rods inscribed with the multiplication table. Napier coined the word rabdology (from Greek ῥάβδος [rhabdos], rod and λόγoς [logos] calculation or reckoning) to describe this technique. The rods were used to multiply, divide and even ...
Writing in 1914 on the 300th anniversary of Napier's tables, E. W. Hobson described logarithms as "providing a great labour-saving instrument for the use of all those who have occasion to carry out extensive numerical calculations" and comparing it in importance to the "Indian invention" of our decimal number system.
This instrument was probably invented by the Semitic races [a] and later adopted in India, whence it spread westward throughout Europe and eastward to China and Japan. After the development of the abacus, no further advances were made until John Napier devised his numbering rods, or Napier's Bones, in 1617. Various forms of the Bones appeared ...
The promptuary, also known as the card abacus is a calculating machine invented by the 16th-century Scottish mathematician John Napier and described in his book Rabdologiae [1] in which he also described Napier's bones. It is an extension of Napier's Bones, using two sets of rods to achieve multi-digit multiplication without the need to write ...
Napier's bones – John Napier; Newcomen steam engine – Thomas Newcomen; Newtonian telescope – Isaac Newton; Newton's Cradle – Isaac Newton; Nissen hut – Peter Norman Nissen; Nordenfelt gun – Thorsten Nordenfelt; Northrop Loom – James Henry Northrop; Odhner Arithmometer – Willgodt Theophil Odhner [24] Odón device – Jorge Odón [25]
Scotsman John Napier reinvented a form of logarithms and an ingenious system of movable rods (1617, referred to as Napier's Rods or Napier's bones). These rods were based on the lattice or gelosia multiplication algorithm and allowed the operator to multiply, divide, and calculate square and cube roots by moving the rods around and placing them ...