November 16, 2016 Wednesday
Bedtime Story
The Story of Cardano and Tartaglia the Stamerer
The Story of Cardano and Tartaglia the Stamerer
In defining a transcendental number, an important concept is
algebraic.
An algebraic number is a complex number that is a root of a
non-zero polynomial in one variable with rational coefficients.
Now then we have to deal with complex number.
Let us see how the idea of complex number originated.
It came when some apes decided to solve polynomial equations,
cubic equation in particular.
Liner and quadratic equations were solved much before and without
too much of a trouble.
Two names that are prominently associated with the story of
complex numbers are that of Gerolamo Cardano and Niccolò Fontana Tartaglia,
both Italians of early 1500s.
It was a time (1508-16) when the War of the Holy League broke out
between France, the Papal States and the Republic of Venice.
As usual, it was essentially fought over resources and the
precious land that is so little in that tiny European continent.
One of the Italian city that was involved in the battle was
Brescia, birth place of Niccolò Tartaglia.
French troops had invaded Venice and in Brescia (in the Northern
Italy) on the way, they butchered 45,000 citizens.
One of the soldiers of the French army (led by King Louis XII)
slashed at Niccolò’s jaw slicing both his jaw and palate and left him thinking
he was dead.
His mother salvaged him from near death but after recuperating
Niccolò suffered severe a severe blow in his ability to speak leaving him with
a permanent stammer.
After this he was given the nickname “Tartaglia” the stammerer.
His speech may have been deficient but his mind remained first
class.
He ended up solving the cubic equation of the form:
ax3 + bx + c = 0
Cardano brilliant as was could not come on his own with the
solution for the cubic equation.
Cardano was a consummate gambler and an adept chess player and
made his living by applying the theory of probability and working out effective
cheating methods.
Cardano sweet-talked Tartaglia into revealing the solution of the
cubic equations and published it as his own.
History now gives credit to both these guys for solving the cubic
equation and the formula for solving the cubic equation goes by the name of “Cardano-Tartaglia
formula”.
Stay tuned to the voice of an average story storytelling
chimpanzee or login at http://panarrans.blogspot.in/
Good night and my fellow cousin ape.
Another great educator and a teacher that I am aware of is
Professor Subhashish Chattopadhyay in Bangalore, India.
While I narrate stories, Professor Subhashish an electronic
engineer and a former professor at BARC, does and teaches real mathematics and
physics.
He started the participation of Indian students at the
International Physics Olympiad.
Do visit him here:
All his books can be downloaded for free through this link:
For edutainment and English education of your children, may I
suggest this large collection of Kids Songs:
For the equation: x3 + px + q = 0
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