"Discovery: Decimal Point Found in 1440s Italian Merchant's Notes"
Originally Published 1 year ago — by IFLScience
The use of the decimal point in mathematics dates back further than previously thought, with a new paper tracing it back to the work of Giovanni Bianchini in the 1440s. Bianchini, a Venetian merchant and administrator, used the decimal system in his calculations in spherical astronomy and metrology, introducing the notation of a little dot to separate whole units from the fractional part. This notation was later adopted by influential mathematician astronomers such as Clavius and Regiomontanus, shaping the development of mathematical notation and paving the way for the widespread use of the decimal point.