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Newly discovered notes from 15th-century Italy show that the decimal point is actually 150 years older than what historians previously believed. Decimal points may seem basic, but they’re incredibly helpful in math. They divide whole numbers into tenths, hundredths, and thousandths, which makes calculations a lot easier compared to using fractions. Some forms of decimals have been around since the 900s in Damascus and the 1200s in China, as reported by Live Science. A solid system of decimals didn’t become fully established until 1593. This happened when the German mathematician Christopher Clavius included decimals in astronomical work. However, recent studies...

Decimals in a trigonometry table in Tabulae primi mobilis B by Bianchini, written in the 15th century. (Van Brummelen, Hist. Math., 2024) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In 1593, German mathematician Christopher Clavius made a small mark that would change mathematics forever. In a sine table in his treatise on the astrolabe, Astrolabium, he indicated the fractionation of a whole number by writing what has come to be regarded as the very first use of the decimal point. There is, however, just one problem. According to new painstaking research by historian Glen Van Brummelen of Trinity Western University, this wasn't, in fact, its first...