François Viète

François Viète (1540–1603) was a French mathematician whose systematic use of letters for known and unknown quantities helped shape modern symbolic algebra.

Rhetorical algebra: Rhetorical algebra expresses mathematical problems and solutions entirely in ordinary words. Viète’s symbolic approach marked a departure from algebra written out in prose.
Viète's formulas: Viète's formulas relate the coefficients of a polynomial to sums and products of its roots. They show how his symbolic algebra links an equation’s coefficients to its solutions.
Fontenay-le-Comte: Fontenay-le-Comte is a town in western France in the Pays de la Loire region. Viète was born in this town in 1540.
In artem analyticem isagoge: In artem analyticem isagoge is Viète’s 1591 treatise introducing his systematic approach to algebraic analysis. This work set out his symbolic methods and program for solving mathematical problems.
René Descartes: René Descartes was a French philosopher and mathematician who developed analytic geometry and influential algebraic notation. Descartes advanced the symbolic algebraic tradition Viète had helped establish.
Syncopated algebra: Syncopated algebra abbreviates recurring operations and quantities while retaining much verbal description. It represents an intermediate stage between rhetorical algebra and Viète’s systematic symbolism.
Algebraic notation: Algebraic notation uses symbols to represent numbers, operations, and mathematical relationships. Viète’s lasting innovation was a systematic scheme for representing quantities symbolically.
University of Poitiers: The University of Poitiers is a French university founded in 1431. Viète studied law there before beginning his career in public service.
Viète's formula for pi: Viète's formula for pi is an infinite product of nested square-root expressions equal to two divided by pi. Viète used an infinite product to express pi through a sequence of geometric constructions.
Harriot's notation: Harriot's notation is the system of algebraic symbols used by English mathematician Thomas Harriot. Harriot’s notation offered a more compact alternative to Viète’s conventions for equations and inequalities.

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