Definition:Cartesian Plane/Historical Note
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Historical Note on Cartesian Plane
The Cartesian plane was supposedly invented by René Descartes in around the year $1637$.
However, a study of the literature will reveal that this idea originated considerably earlier, perhaps going back as far as Nicole Oresme.
Sources
- 1933: D.M.Y. Sommerville: Analytical Conics (3rd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): Chapter $\text I$. Coordinates: $2$. Coordinates
- 1937: Eric Temple Bell: Men of Mathematics ... (previous) ... (next): Chapter $\text{III}$: Gentleman, Soldier and Mathematician
- 1958: P.J. Hilton: Differential Calculus ... (previous) ... (next): Chapter $1$: Introduction to Coordinate Geometry
- 1998: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (2nd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): Cartesian coordinate system
- 2008: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (4th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): Cartesian coordinate system