Who discover calculus?

Calculus is a cornerstone of modern mathematics, with a rich history that is as fascinating as the subject itself. As a field, it deals with the study of change and motion, and it is divided into several branches, including differential calculus, integral calculus, and more recently, differential geometry and mathematical analysis. The discovery of calculus is often attributed to two of the most prominent mathematicians and philosophers of the 17th century: Isaac Newton and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. Isaac Newton, an English mathematician, physicist, and astronomer, is widely recognized for his work on the laws of motion and universal gravitation. However, his contributions to mathematics are equally significant. Newton developed his method of "fluxions," which is a form of calculus, to study the properties of functions and their rates of change. His work on calculus was largely contained within his seminal work, the "Principia Mathematica," published in 1687. Newton's approach to calculus was geometric in nature, focusing on the areas and volumes of shapes. Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, a German mathematician and philosopher, independently developed calculus around the same time as Newton. Leibniz's work was more algebraic and symbolic, and he introduced the notation that is still in use today, including the integral symbol ∫ and the differential symbol dx. He published his work in a series of papers starting in 1684, which laid the foundation for differential and integral calculus. The development of calculus by both Newton and Leibniz was a monumental achievement, but it was not without controversy. A bitter dispute over the originality and priority of their discoveries, known as the Leibniz-Newton calculus controversy, lasted for many years and was fueled by national pride and academic politics. Despite the controversy, both men's contributions were significant and complementary, with Newton focusing on the application of calculus to physics and Leibniz on its general mathematical structure. Calculus has since become an essential tool in a wide range of disciplines, including physics, engineering, economics, and many others. It allows for the precise description of how phenomena change over time, and it has been instrumental in the advancement of science and technology. In conclusion, while both Newton and Leibniz are credited with the discovery of calculus, their approaches and contributions to the field were distinct. Newton's geometric perspective and Leibniz's symbolic notation have both left a lasting impact on the development of calculus and its applications.

Calculus, known in its early history as infinitesimal calculus, is a mathematical discipline focused on limits, functions, derivatives, integrals, and infinite series. Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibniz independently discovered calculus in the mid-17th century.