Mathematical Madness: Newton vs. Leibniz
For some of us, math class was like this:
For others among us, math was a bit more like this:
But whether you made it into the highest echelons of mathematical geniuses or cut it short at the basics, you don’t have to understand calculus to respect the intellectual drama that was the Leibniz-Newton calculus controversy. Long story short, Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibniz both appear to have invented the field of calculus in the late 1600s, completely independent of one another. That’s arguably the current scientific consensus, anyway. From 1711 onward there was nonetheless a grand debate about which man created calculus first, and whether there was any plagiarism involved. Drawing in numerous scholars ever since it began, the disagreement may have settled down today but still continues to pit Newton supporters against Leibniz supporters on mathematical, scientific, and even raw philosophical levels.
So: let’s settle this EyeWire style, shall we?
Choose your Western Enlightenment wizard!
- Stats:
- Began his calculus with the derivative
- Claimed to have started his calculus work in 1666; first published about it in 1687… after Leibniz
- Made huge contributions to physics including the theory of gravity, key principles of color theory, and laws of motion and thermodynamics
- Even as a scientist, dabbled heavily in the outdated field of alchemy
- Stats:
- Began his calculus with the integral
- Claimed to have started his calculus work in 1674; first published about it in 1684… before Newton, but he may have seen some of Newton’s earlier manuscripts
- A major philosopher, scientist, and inventor alongside his mathematics; he was an early computing engineer even prior to Charles Babbage
- Believed that this universe was the best of all possible worlds, an idea lampooned in Voltaire’s Candide
The competition starts at 11 AM EDT on 8/6 and runs for 24 hours! Usual bonuses apply:
Earn 5,000 points – 2,500 bonus
Earn 15,000 points – 5,000 bonus
Earn 25,000 points – 10,000 bonus
For every 25,000 points above 25,000 – 5,000 bonus
Member of winning team (if you’ve scored at least 2,500 points) – 10,000 bonus
Highest scorer on each team – 5,000 bonus
Player with #1 overall score – 10,000 bonus
Player with #2 overall score – 5,000 bonus
Player with #3 overall score – 2,500 bonus