Nature
The decimal point is 150 years older than historians thought
... Jo Marchant is a freelance science writer based in London. ... The decimal point was invented around 150 years earlier than previously thought, according to an analysis of astronomical tables compiled by the Italian merchant and mathematician Giovanni Bianchini in the 1440s.
NPR
The decimal point was in use 150 years before previously thought, research shows : NPR
February 24, 2024 - The decimal point was in use 150 years before previously thought, research shows NPR's Scott Simon talks to math historian Glen Van Brummelen about his finding that the decimal point appeared in the 1440s, earlier than thought.
Videos
July 13, 2016
Live Science
World's oldest known decimal point discovered in merchant's notes from 1440s Italy | Live Science
February 22, 2024 - These handy mathematical tools ... (in China). But a consistent system of decimals wasn't fully cemented until 1593, when German mathematician Christopher Clavius used decimals in an astronomical treatise....
Elephant Learning
John Napier: Champion of the Decimal Point and an Early Calculator | Aug 27, 2024
John Napier was a 16th-century Scottish mathematician who made several important discoveries that facilitated easier and faster computations. He discovered logarithms, popularized the use of the decimal point, and invented his own mechanical system of calculation, called Napier’s bones.
Quora
Who invented the decimal point? - Quora
Answer (1 of 4): The earliest use of Fraction is observed about 4000 years ago by Egyptians. Also it has been used extensively by Pythagoras (~500 BC) and by many Indian Mathematicians around 100-200 BC. Although I guess what you are looking for is who used Decimal Points first time to write Fra...
Popular Mechanics
A Math Genius Created the Decimal Point and Became a Legend. Turns Out He Stole It.
March 21, 2024 - There’s been a mystery lurking in one of the most unassuming parts of mathematics for centuries. When German mathematician Christopher Clavius introduced the world to the humble decimal point in 1593, he used it in one table, and never mentioned it or used it again in any of the rest of his ...
New Atlas
The invention of the decimal dot that changed mathematics forever
February 21, 2024 - The answer, it seems, is that Clavius ... back to the 1440s – about 150 years earlier – first appearing in the writings of Italian mathematician Giovanni Bianchini....
Pen Man's Blog
Did You Know: The History of Decimal Point – Pen Man's Blog
October 9, 2019 - Decimal fractions as they look today were used by John Napier, a Scottish mathematician who developed the use of logarithms for carrying out calculations. The modern decimal point became the standard in England in 1619.
MAE at UFL
HISTORICAL ORIGIN OF THE DECIMAL SYSTEM
GRAPHS OF MATHEMATICAL FUNCTIONS ... on ODEs, PDEs, Boundary Value Problems and Integral Equations. Plus some historical perspectives on the mathematicians who first examined these problems....
MacTutor History of Mathematics
Decimal numeration and the place-value system - Indian Mathematics - Redressing the balance - Projects - MacTutor History of Mathematics
Prior to its invention, Indian mathematicians had already taken to leaving an empty column on their counting boards and clearly at some point this empty space was filled. The Indians referred to zero as 'sunya' meaning void. Again, although evidence points towards a Mesopotamian origin for a place holder, their 'zero' (two slanted bars) was not used in conjunction with a decimal ...
CK-12 Foundation
Flexi answers - Who invented the decimal point in India? | CK-12 Foundation
April 2, 2025 - The concept of the decimal point, as well as the decimal system itself, was not invented in India, but rather in ancient India. The Indian mathematician and astronomer Aryabhata, who lived in the 5th century AD, is credited with introducing the decimal system to the world.
Smithsonian Magazine
The Decimal Point Is 150 Years Older Than Previously Thought, Medieval Manuscript Reveals
February 29, 2024 - German mathematician Christopher Clavius began using them while writing about astronomy in 1593. But new evidence suggests the decimal point may be 150 years older than previously thought: A 15th-century Venetian merchant named Giovanni Bianchini appears to have used the mathematical ...
Phys.org
Use of decimal point is 1.5 centuries older than historians thought
February 20, 2024 - A mathematical historian at Trinity Wester University in Canada, has found use of a decimal point by a Venetian merchant 150 years before its first known use by German mathematician Christopher Clavius. In his paper published in the journal Historia Mathematica, Glen Van Brummelen describes ...
CK-12 Foundation
Flexi answers - Who invented the decimal point? | CK-12 Foundation
April 2, 2025 - The concept of a decimal point or decimal separator has evolved over time, and it is difficult to attribute its invention to a single individual. The modern decimal point, usually represented by a dot or a comma, was first introduced in the work of a Flemish mathematician and engineer named ...
numeral system with ten as its base
Wikipedia
Decimal - Wikipedia
1 week ago - Al-Khwarizmi introduced fractions ... without a horizontal bar. This form of fraction remained in use for centuries. Positional decimal fractions appear for the first time in a book by the Arab mathematician Abu'l-Hasan al-Uqlidisi written in the 10th century....
Encyclopedia Britannica
Decimal fraction | mathematics | Britannica
Other articles where decimal fraction is discussed: Simon Stevin: …elementary and thorough account of decimal fractions and their daily use. Although he did not invent decimal fractions and his notation was rather unwieldy, he established their use in day-to-day mathematics.
Unimelb
History and Metric System
Decimal money and measurement · The evolution of notation for decimals The decimal point marks the ones column
Newsweek
History of Math Shaken Up As Fundamental Point 150 Years Older Than Thought - Newsweek
February 26, 2024 - The origins of the decimal point, something millions of people use daily, may be much older than we first thought. It was initially considered to have originated in 1593, having been used by German mathematician Christopher Clavius in his creation of astronomical tables.