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The Discovery Of Calculus : Newton And Gottfried Von Leibniz Essay

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Throughout history, there have been numerous mathematical discoveries, but perhaps none of these were met with the controversy of the discovery of Calculus. In the 1600s, two men, Isaac Newton and Gottfried von Leibniz both began the study of differential and integral Calculus. During the 17th century, plagiarism was an extremely serious offense and second inventors were often put in the position to defend their right to the topic and against suspicion. Newton and Leibniz spent many years with their respective supporters defending their claim to the discovery of Calculus although today historians and mathematicians agree that Newton and Leibniz independently and without knowledge of the other’s work discovered the basis and methods for differential and integral Calculus.
Gottfried Leibniz was born on July 1, 1646, in Germany to a wealthy family; his father was a professor of moral philosophy. When young, Leibniz attended the Nicolai School, but mostly taught himself out of his father’s library. [1] He later went on to study at the University of Leipzig where he focused on law. While studying at university he came in contact with many great philosophers such as Bacon, Hobbes, and Descartes. [1] In 1666, Leibniz was denied his Doctorate of Law due to his youth causing him to leave Leipzig, this same year he wrote his first book on philosophy. [2] Upon leaving Leipzig, he met Johann Christian von Boyneburg and was hired as his assistant and used this position to gain

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