Tartaglia, Niccolò (1499–1557) Italian Algebra Born

in Brescia, Italy, in 1499 (his exact birth date is not

known), scholar Niccolò Tartaglia is remembered as one

of the first mathematicians to discover the long-sought

solution to the general

CUBIC EQUATION

. His method was

published, without permission, by G

IROLAMO

C

ARDANO

(1501–76), to whom he had revealed the details in confi-

dence. Tartaglia also published the influential three-vol-

ume text General trattato di numeri et misure (Treatise

on numbers and measures), and was the first Italian

scholar to translate and publish E

UCLID

’

S

famous treatise

T

HE

E

LEMENTS

.

Tartaglia, born Niccolò Fontana, was only a boy

when the French invaded his hometown in 1512. Dur-

ing the massacre Tartaglia received severe sword

wounds to his jaw and palate and was left for dead in a

cathedral. He survived, but thereafter could only speak

with difficulty, hence his nickname, Tartaglia, meaning

“stammerer.”

During the Renaissance, scholars were mostly sup-

ported by rich patrons and had to prove their talent by

defeating other scholars in public competitions. For

this reason, mathematicians would keep their methods

secret. In 1535 Tartaglia discovered a means for solving

cubic equations of the form x3+ ax2= band began

publicizing his achievement. Earlier, S

CIPIONE DEL

F

ERRO

(1465–1526) had revealed to his student Anto-

nio Maria Fiore (ca. 1506–60) a method of solving

Tartaglia, Niccolò 493

Tangents, secants, and points of contact

Niccolò Tartaglia, an eminent mathematician of the 16th cen-

tury, found a general method of solution to cubic equations.

(Photo courtesy of the Science Museum, London/Topham-

HIP/The Image Works)