Estienne de La Roche (1470–1530) was a French
mathematician
A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, mathematical structure, structure, space, Mathematica ...
.
Sometimes known as Estienne de Villefranche, La Roche was born in
Lyon
Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...
, but his family also owned property in
Villefranche-sur-Saône, where he lived during his youth. He studied
mathematics
Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...
with
Nicolas Chuquet. Having in his possession Chuquet's manuscripts, it is probable that La Roche was on good terms with Chuquet. He taught commercial mathematics in Lyon for 25 years. He is regarded today as a professor of
arithmetic
Arithmetic is an elementary branch of mathematics that deals with numerical operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. In a wider sense, it also includes exponentiation, extraction of roots, and taking logarithms.
...
(at the time, Master of Figures).
In 1520, he published ''L'Arismetique'', regarded at the time as an excellent handbook of
algebra
Algebra is a branch of mathematics that deals with abstract systems, known as algebraic structures, and the manipulation of expressions within those systems. It is a generalization of arithmetic that introduces variables and algebraic ope ...
using an elegant
notation
In linguistics and semiotics, a notation system is a system of graphics or symbols, Character_(symbol), characters and abbreviated Expression (language), expressions, used (for example) in Artistic disciplines, artistic and scientific disciplines ...
for
powers,
square roots and
roots
A root is the part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors the plant body, and absorbs and stores water and nutrients.
Root or roots may also refer to:
Art, entertainment, and media
* ''The Root'' (magazine), an online magazine focusin ...
of a higher nature. However, in 1880,
Aristide Marre published the book ''Triparty'' by Chuquet, and it proved that the first part of ''L'Arismetique'' was essentially a copy of the algebra of Chuquet. La Roche did try to teach significant mathematics, inaccessible at the time to a French audience, and thus was not merely a
plagiarist. He was the worthy successor of several masters and experts in his art, such as
Luca Pacioli
Luca Bartolomeo de Pacioli, O.F.M. (sometimes ''Paccioli'' or ''Paciolo''; 1447 – 19 June 1517) was an Italian mathematician, Franciscan friar, collaborator with Leonardo da Vinci, and an early contributor to the field now known as account ...
. La Roche may have borrowed from or been influenced by several mathematicians, including Chuquet, Pacioli and
Philippe Frescobaldi, a French
banker
A bank is a financial institution that accepts Deposit account, deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital m ...
who wrote some books of mathematics.
External links
*
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:La Roche, Estienne de
1470 births
1530 deaths
Scientists from Lyon
16th-century French mathematicians