Who was Florian Cajori and what did he write about?

Florian Cajori was a Swiss-American mathematician born in 1859 who became especially well known as a historian of mathematics. He wrote a comprehensive treatise on mathematical notation and also contributed historical credit regarding the use of the haversine formula. He lived until 1930.

What we know

• Florian Cajori was a Swiss-American historian of mathematics born on February 28, 1859, and who died in August 1930. [1, 2]
• He is especially known for his comprehensive treatise titled A History of Mathematical Notations. [2]
• Cajori credited José de Mendoza y Ríos with an earlier use of the haversine formula in 1801, preceding James Andrew's 1805 English table. [5]

Still open

• Sources vary slightly on the exact date of death, citing either August 14 or August 15, 1930.

Where to go next

• the bigger pictureWhat is the history of mathematical notations?
• a case in pointHow does the haversine formula work?
• whoWho was Charles Cajori?
• whereWhere did Florian Cajori come from?
• whenWhat is the origin of the given name Florian?
• an unexpected connectionHow does a math historian connect to abstract expressionism?Florian Cajori's family line includes Charles Florian Cajori, an abstract expressionist painter who significantly contributed to the New York School.

Sources

• [1]Florian Cajori (Wikidata Q122323) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Florian Cajori · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Charles Cajori · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Florian (name) · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Haversine formula · CC BY-SA 4.0

Your path

1. What is the Helladic chronology system?
2. /What is beta decay in nuclear physics?
3. /Who was Florian Cajori and what did he write about?