William Oughtred is a Mathématicien and Théologien born with Eaton (Buckinghamshire) the March 5th 1574, and died in Albury, close to Gulford (Comté of Surrey), the June 30th 1660. It carried out face, in its youth, the study of the Théologie and that of the Exact sciences, was named in 1610 minister of Albury, and, thanks to this rather lucrative benefit, could with complete freedom satisfy its passion for mathematics. He even taught them and counted among his pupils William Forster. Its work mainly concerned the applications of the algebra to the geometry, on the construction of the equation S, on the training of the powers. One allotted to him the invention of the logarithmic scale S, whose merit seems to return entire to Edmund Gunter. It is, on the contrary, doubtless the author of the well-known process of multiplication shortened under the name of rule of Oughtred; the exposure is some in the Arithmeticae in numeris and speciebus institutio (London, 1631), its best work, than it translated itself into English under the title The Vey off mathematics (London, 1647) and of which it was given then of many Latin republications under that of Clavis mathematica (London, 1648; Oxford, 1652, etc). One also finds in this treaty, a long time traditional in the English universities, several entirely new theorems of geometry and algebra. It is also William Oughtred who introduced the cross (X) to mean the operation of multiplication. He also invented the linear rules slide and circulars in 1632. Its other writings are less important, though having had also a great success: Circle off proportion (London, 1632; 3rd ED., Oxford, 1660); Solution off all spherical triangles (Oxford, 1657); Trigonometry (London, 1657); Cannonade sinuum, tangentium, etc (London, 1657, etc). A collection of its principal manuscripts was printed after its death: Opuscula mathematica hactenus inedita (Oxford, 1667). One finally quotes of him some literary publications. Burning royalist, it was somewhat worried at the beginning of the revolution, in 1646, and died, says one, of joy by learning the re-establishment from Charles II. (L.S.).

See too

• Algebra