Canon mathematicus seu ad triangula

work by Viète

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June 22, 2026

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Canon mathematicus seu ad triangula (1579), meaning "Mathematical Laws Applied to Triangles," was written by François Viète. This work is considered the first in Western Europe to systematically address the computation of plane and spherical triangles using all six trigonometric functions. Viète's contributions were foundational to the development of modern algebraic notation and the theory of equations.1

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François Viète
Viète’s Canon mathematicus seu ad triangula (1579; “Mathematical Laws Applied to Triangles”) is probably the first western European work dealing with a systematic development of methods—using all six trigonometric functions—for computing plane and spherical triangles. Viète has been called “the father of modern algebraic notation,” and…
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Viète’s Canon mathematicus seu ad triangula (1579; “Mathematical Laws Applied to Triangles”) is probably the first western European work dealing with a systematic development of methods—using all six trigonometric functions—for computing plane and spherical triangles. Viète has been called “the father of modern algebraic notation,” and…
Read More

trigonometry table
…all six trigonometric functions in Canon Mathematicus (1579). The value of this work was not, however, in the tables, in which he calculated the functions at 1′ increments, accurate to five decimal places. Instead, Viète’s work was important because he had discovered various trigonometry relationships with which he demonstrated how…
Read More
…all six trigonometric functions in Canon Mathematicus (1579). The value of this work was not, however, in the tables, in which he calculated the functions at 1′ increments, accurate to five decimal places. Instead, Viète’s work was important because he had discovered various trigonometry relationships with which he demonstrated how…
Read More