John Napier (1550–1617) was a Scottish mathematician, astronomer, and theologian best known for his invention of logarithms. His work on logarithms, published in his 1614 book "Mirifici Logarithmorum Canonis Descriptio," greatly simplified calculations in mathematics and astronomy by transforming multiplicative processes into additive ones. Napier is also credited with the development of Napier's bones, a manual calculating tool that aided in multiplication and division.
Articles by others on the same topic
Portrait of John Napier
. Unknown artist, 1616; painting presented to University of Edinburgh by Margaret, later Baroness Napier; scan source listed on Commons. Public domain (life-plus-100, pre-1931 U.S. publication), faithful reproduction / PD-Art. Source and usage information on the linked Wikimedia file page. Source.