Leonardo Pisano Fibonacci

Born: 1170 in (probably) Pisa (now in Italy)
Died: 1250 in (possibly) Pisa (now in Italy)


Fibonacci or Leonard of Pisa, played an important role in reviving ancient mathematics and made significant contributions of his own. Liber abaci introduced the Hindu-Arabic place-valued decimal system and the use

Leonardo Pisano is better known by his nickname Fibonacci. He played an important role in reviving ancient mathematics and made significant contributions of his own.

Fibonacci was born in Italy but was educated in North Africa where his father held a diplomatic post. He travelled widely with his father, recognising and the enormous advantages of the mathematical systems used in these countries.

Liber abaci , published in 1202 after his return to Italy, is based on bits of arithmetic and algebra that Fibonacci had accumulated during his travels. Liber abaci introduced the Hindu-Arabic place-valued decimal system and the

A problem in Liber abaci led to the introduction of the Fibonacci numbers and the Fibonacci sequence for which Fibonacci is best remembered today. The Fibonacci Quarterly is a modern journal devoted to studying mathematics relat

The Fibonacci numbers and the Euclidean Algorithm.

Fibonacci's other books of major importance are Practica geometriae in 1220 containing a large collection of geometry and trigonometry. Also in Liber quadratorum in 1225 he approximates a root of a cubic obtaining an answer whic

Mis practica geometriae in 1220 gave a compilation of the geometry of the time and also introduced some trigonometry.

The portrait above is from a modern engraving and is believed to not be based on authentic sources.

References elsewhere in this archive:

References:

  1. Dictionary of Scientific Biography
  2. Biography in Encyclopaedia Britannica
  3. J Gies and F Gies, Leonard of Pisa and the New Mathematics of the Middle Ages (1969).
  4. G Loria, Leonardo Fibonacci, Storia delle mathematiche I (Turin, 1929), 379-410.


Back to Famous Italians
Back to The Main Page