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1800 BCE
Babylonian Introduction
Babylonians show discovery of cubic equations but can only find solutions to certain ones. -
400 BCE
Greek Contributions
Hippocrates of Chios, Archytas, Menaechmus, and Archimedes all use cubic equations in work relating to doubling a cube and trisecting an angle. -
200 BCE
Chinese Discoveries
The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art shows some methods for solving cubic equations. -
625
Wang Xiaotong Solutions
Wang Xiaotong is able to create and solve 25 cubic equations. -
860
Arab Contributions
Al-Mahani uses cubic equations working on Archimedian problem a dividing a sphere by a plane. Abu Ja'far Alchazin uses conic sections to solve cubic equations. -
1515
Tartaglia and del Ferro Discover General Formula
Nicolo Tartaglia and Scipione del Ferro independently find general formula for solving cubic equations. -
1535
Mathematical Challenge
Tartaglia and Antonio Maria del Fiore use partial solutions of cubic equations in public mathematical challenge. -
1545
Cardano Publishes Method
Gerolano Cardano breaks his promise to Tartaglia and publishes formula for solving cubic equations. However, he does mention Tartaglia but gives credit to del Ferro. -
1572
Bombelli Contributions
Rafael Bombelli develops further the extraction of complex roots for cubic equations. -
Roth Assumption
Peter Roth claims but does not prove that algebraic equations have as many roots as their degree. -
Viete Calculations
Francois Viete finds trigonometrical solutions to cubic equations. -
John Wallis Calculations
Wallis extracts cube root of a binomial. Work based on Cardano although he claimed no knowledge of such. -
Clairaut and d'Alembert
Alexis Clairaut and Jean le Rond d'Alembert show that Ferro's (Cardano's) Formula gives three roots not just one. -
Joseph Louis Lagrange Method
Lagrange finds solutions to cubic equations using method of combinations.