History of Cubic Equations

By javier.clark
  • 1895 BCE

    Babylonians

    Babylonian clay tablets have been found with tables of cubes of
    numbers which could be used to solve cubic equations.
  • 320 BCE

    Menaechmus (Greek: Μέναιχμος, 380–320 BC)

    Greek Mathematician that derived these properties of conic sections and others as well. Using this information it was now possible to find a solution to the problem of the duplication of the cube by solving for the points at which two parabolas intersect, a solution equivalent to solving a cubic equation.
  • 1123

    Omar Khayyám (1048–1123)

    Omar constructed solutions of cubic equations by intersecting a conic section with a circle. He showed how this geometric solution could be used to get a numerical answer by consulting trigonometric tables.
  • 1517

    Luca Pacioli (1445-1517)

    Luca believed that in a solution for the cubic equations was impossible.
  • 1535

    Scipione del Ferro

    Scipione del Ferro (1465 - 1525) came up with a solution to solve cubic equations. Namely those x3 + mx = n. In fact, all cubic equations can be reduced to this form if we allow m and n to be negative
  • 1557

    Niccolò Tartaglia (1499 - 1557)

    Rediscovered the first general solution for the cubic equation.
  • 1576

    Gerolamo Cardano (1501-1576)

    Published the Ars Magna which included a solution for the cubic equation along with the quartic equation. Today his process is known as the Cardano’s method

  • François Viète (1540-1603)

    Promoted the use of trigonometry for solving cubic equations.

  • Joseph Louis Lagrange (1736-1813)

    gave a solution of cubic equations by a method of combinations. Previous solutions were made by a substitution method.

  • Present Day Use of Cubic Equations

    The cubic equation is utilized for volume, measurements, and other applications. Some other applications of cubic functions or equations are found in the fields of physics, chemistry, economics, or additional areas of mathematics