Briggsian

/ˈbrɪɡziən/ adjective

Definition

Relating to or associated with Henry Briggs, the 17th-century mathematician, or his mathematical innovations, particularly his work on logarithms.

Etymology

From Henry Briggs (1561-1630), English mathematician, plus -ian suffix creating an adjective. Briggs is famous for developing common logarithms (base-10 logarithms, also called Briggsian logarithms), which revolutionized mathematical calculation.

Kelly Says

Before calculators existed, mathematicians used Briggs's logarithm tables like we use Google—his innovation made complex multiplication and division into simple addition and subtraction, saving scientists and engineers literally thousands of hours of calculation.

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