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How did Euler increase the number of known amicable-number pairs?
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In the 18th century, the Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler significantly expanded the list of known amicable numbers by developing new mathematical rules for generating them. While earlier mathematicians, such as Thābit ibn Qurrah, Pierre de Fermat, and René Descartes, relied on a specific formula to identify pairs, Euler’s innovative approach allowed him to discover 59 additional pairs.1