Raphael Bombelli: The Family History Of Raphael Bombelli

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Italian mathematician Raphael Bombelli is credited with major contributions to both Algebra and geometrical proofs. Emerging from a difficult period in his family’s era, Bombelli became the key figure in understanding imaginary numbers while also taking credit with the invention of complex numbers. He challenged common mathematicians’ thinking and view of mathematics at the time until his works were well known and rightfully praised.
Raphael Bombelli’s family were originally known as the Mazzolis. Because of this change, the family history of Raphael Bombelli is worth noting. Beginning in 1443, the capital of Northern Italy, Bologna, was ruled by the Bentivoglio family. During this time, a wool merchant by the name of Antonio Mazzoli and his …show more content…

At the end of Book III, Bombelli writes, “the geometrical part, Books IV and V, is not yet ready for the publisher, but its publication will follow shortly” (Bombelli, 1572). Sadly, Bombelli died before finishing the last two books. In 1923, Bortolotti discovered Bombelli’s manuscript of the first three books, followed by the unfinished work of the last two, in the library in Bologna. In 1929, Bortolotti published Bombelli’s last two books which held information and methods regarding cubic …show more content…

He received praise from several Mathematicians such as Gottfried Leibniz and John Newsome Crossley. Jayawardene even commended Bombelli when stating, “showed himself to be far ahead of his time, for his treatment was almost that followed today” (Jayawardene, 1990). Bombelli is credited as the inventor of complex numbers because no one before him saw any significance in the creation of their rules. His recognition even ended with a lunar crater being named after him. Raphael Bombelli has surely earned the credit received from his progresses depicted in

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