Mathematician:Nicholas Mercator

Mathematician
German mathematician who designed a marine chronometer for Charles II, and designed and constructed the fountains at the Palace of Versailles.

Known for the Newton-Mercator Series.

Not to be confused with, the cartographer.

Nationality
German

History

 * Born: 1619 or 1620 in Eutin, Holstein, Holy Roman Empire (now Germany)
 * Died: 14 January 1687 in Paris, France

Theorems

 * Mercator's Constant, also known as:
 * Gregory's Constant, for either or
 * the alternating harmonic series


 * Newton-Mercator Series (independently of, also discovered by )

Publications

 * 1651: Trigonometria sphaericorum logarithmica
 * 1651: Cosmographia
 * 1651: Astronomica sphaerica
 * 1653: Rationes mathematicae subductae
 * 1653: De emendatione annua diatribae duae
 * 1664: Hypothesis astronomica nova
 * 1668: Logarithmotechnia 
 * 1676: Institutiones astronomicae (2 volumes)

Also known as
Nicholas Mercator was originally named Niklaus Kauffman (or Kauffmann). He later changed his surname to Mercator, the Latin form of merchant.

Nicholas is variously rendered Nicolaus, Nikolaus or Niklaus.