Hendricks 1

Austin Hendricks

Sarah Edmond

Gifted Advanced Math Three

31 March 2011

Rene Descartes

Descartes’ theories about mathematics allowed other famous scientists like Isaac Newton

to make their discoveries by applying infinitesimal calculus, a subsection of calculus that deals

with limits, differentiations and integrations, to a tangential line. Descartes also created the Rule

of Signs theory that allows for the mathematician to discover the number of positive and

negative roots of a polynomial. To be more precise, it gives the mathematician an upper bound

number of positive or negative roots of a polynomial, but does not tell the exact number of roots.

He stated that if the terms of a single-variable polynomial with real coefficients are put in order

by descending exponents, then the number of positive roots of the polynomial is either equal to

the number of sign differences between the coefficients or less than it by a multiple of two. He

also stated that the number of negative roots in a polynomial is equal the number of sign changes

between coefficients with an even exponent or fewer than it by a multiple of 2.

Descartes also founded analytical geometry, which is the study of geometry using a

coordinate plane and certain algebraic principles. This led to his discovery of an early form of

the law of conservation of momentum (of a force). This is a fundamental law of nature that states

that if no external force acts on an object, the momentum of the object will remain constant. This

also means that the center of mass of any object will always continue with the same velocity

unless acted on by an external force. In addition to these contributions, Descartes also advanced

the field of optics with his discovery that the angular radius of a rainbow is 42 degrees.