Who independently developed calculus in the late 17th century?
This suggests that the same constant (π) appears in the formula for the circumference, 2πr, and in the formula for the area, πr2. As the number of pieces increases (from left to right), the “rectangle” converges on a πr by r rectangle with area πr2—the same area as that of the circle. This method of approximating a (complex) region by dividing it into simpler regions dates from antiquity and reappears in the calculus.
Calculus was independently developed in the late 17th century by the English mathematician Isaac Newton and the German mathematician Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz.12
While both men arrived at the calculus independently, their approaches and notations differed significantly. Newton, whose formative research occurred between 1665 and 1670, developed the method of "fluxions" based on kinematics, viewing variables as magnitudes that flow over time. In contrast, Leibniz, working in the 1670s, developed a calculus based on "infinitesimals" and established the modern notation for differentiation () and integration ().231
Although a bitter priority dispute later arose between their followers, it is now recognized that both mathematicians made essential, independent contributions to the field. Newton’s work was initially withheld from publication, while Leibniz published his findings in the 1680s, which helped his notation and methods gain widespread influence on the Continent.123