Adriaan Vlacq (1600–1667) was a Dutch book publisher and author of mathematical tables. Born in
Gouda, Vlacq published a table of
logarithms
In mathematics, the logarithm is the inverse function to exponentiation. That means the logarithm of a number to the base is the exponent to which must be raised, to produce . For example, since , the ''logarithm base'' 10 o ...
from 1 to 100,000 to 10 decimal places in 1628 in his ''
Arithmetica logarithmica''. This table extended
Henry Briggs' original tables which only covered the values 1-20,000 and 90,001 to 100,000. The new table was computed by
Ezechiel de Decker and Vlacq who calculated and added 70,000 further values to complete the tables. This table was further extended by
Jurij Vega
Baron Jurij Bartolomej Vega (also Veha; la, Georgius Bartholomaei Vecha; german: Georg Freiherr von Vega; born ''Vehovec'', March 23, 1754 – September 26, 1802) was a Slovene mathematician, physicist and artillery officer.
Early life
Bor ...
in 1794, and by
Alexander John Thompson
Alexander John Thompson (1885 in Plaistow, Essex - 17 June 1968 in Wallington, Surrey) is the author of the last great table of logarithms, published in 1952. This table, the Logarithmetica britannica gives the logarithm
In mathematics, th ...
in 1952.
A shorter trigonometric table called ''Canon Sinuum'' was included in later works of Vlacq.
In 1632, he settled in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
but ten years later with the onset of the
English Civil War
The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...
, he moved to
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
and later moved to
The Hague
The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...
.
He died at The Hague on 8 April 1667.
The crater
Vlacq on the Moon is named after him.
See also
*
Common logarithm
In mathematics, the common logarithm is the logarithm with base 10. It is also known as the decadic logarithm and as the decimal logarithm, named after its base, or Briggsian logarithm, after Henry Briggs, an English mathematician who pioneered i ...
*
''e'' (mathematical constant)
*
John Napier
John Napier of Merchiston (; 1 February 1550 – 4 April 1617), nicknamed Marvellous Merchiston, was a Scottish landowner known as a mathematician, physicist, and astronomer. He was the 8th Laird of Merchiston. His Latinized name was Ioann ...
*
Adrien Ulacq Adrien Ulacq was a Flemish mathematician, best known for his logarithmic tables.
Life
He was originally of Flemish ethnicity from Gouda, Holland.
Career
In 1628, he modified the logarithmic tables of Briggs and added more details to them.
...
External links
*
References
1600 births
1667 deaths
17th-century Dutch mathematicians
People from Gouda, South Holland
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