History of Negative Numbers

China uses Positive and Negative Numbers

200 BCE

Negative numbers appear for the first time! In the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art (Jiu zhang suan-shu) Chinese used positive and negative numbers to calculate commercial spending and taxes. Red rods were used to represent positive numbers and black rods were used to represent negative numbers. The amount sold is positive because you receive money and the amount purchased was black because you are paying money.

Julius Ceasar becomes Dictator of Rome

45 BCE

Famous Julius Ceasar becomes the first dictator of Rome, Italy. This was the end of the Roman Republic.

India uses Negative Numbers

620

Brahmagupta, mathematician, introduces fortunes and debts to explain positive and negative numbers. He came up with a set of rules regarding fortunes, debts, and zero that define the relationship between them.

First English Written Poem

660

First English poem is written called Caedmon's Hymn.

Negative Numbers Present in Arabic Mathematics

900

Abul -Wafa utilized negative numbers in his works. He found that subtracting 5 from 3 gives a debt of 2. This is the only case of negatives being used in medieval Arabia.

Negative Numbers Appear Again

900

A Persian mathematician, Abū al-Wafā' al-Būzjānī wrote A Book on What Is Necessary from the Science of Arithmetic for Scribes and Businessmen. In this, he refers to negative numbers.

Paper Money Issued

1024

The first paper money is issued by the Chinese.

Negative Numbers Present in Iran

1150

Al - Samawal produced algebra where he state the following set of rules:
-if we subtract a positive number from an 'empty power', the same negative number remains,
-if we subtract the negative number from an 'empty power', the same positive number remains,
-the product of a negative number by a positive number is negative, and by a negative number is positive.

Fibbonacci uses Negatives

1202

In Chapter 13 of Liber Abaci, Fibbonacci refers to negative values as solutions that describe financial problems. These negatives were considered debts.

Glasses Invented

1285

Spectacles were invented in Italy for people who are farsighted.

First Documented Slavery

1441

The first documented African slaves are imported into Europe.

15th Century Negative Numbers

1500

European mathematicians Nicolas Chuquet and Michael Stifel use negative numbers but refer to them as absurd numbers or numeri absurdi.

Number Line Created

1687

John Wallis creates the number line which included negative numbers, giving more meaning to the use of negative numbers.

Negative Numbers Ignored

1700

Many mathematicians ignored negative solutions because they were considered meaningless. Negative results were ignored and thought to be nonsensical regardless of prior mathematicians bringing light to negative numbers.

Poor Richard's Almanack

1732

Benjamin Franklin begins publishing Poor Richard's Almanack.

Negative Numbers given Structure

1750

Negative numbers were systematically part of a structure provided by mathematician, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. Negative numbers were no longer dismissed and the thought that they were nonsensical began to fade. Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz used these negative numbers in infinitesimal calculus.

Treaty of Paris

1763

The French and Indian War comes to a conclusion with the Treaty of Paris. This gave Britain control over land such as North America (east of the Mississippi), parts of India, and islands from the French. George Washington fought in the French and Indian war and gained experience as a soldier in this war.