1. The Calculus Controversy
The Birth of Calculus: These are the Guys to Blame - Since 1802
Leibniz vs. Newton

2. The Calculus Controversy
- Since 1802
Objective: The students will be able to describe the cause and
conclusions of the calculus controversy with 85% accuracy.

3. Sir Isaac Newton
Birth-Death:1642-1727
Famous Discoveries:
Reflecting Telescope
Optics and Gravity
Calculus
AND MANY OTHER THINGS

4. Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
Birth-Death:1646-1716
Famous Discoveries:
Step Reckoner
Leibniz formula for π
1 1 1 1 1
1 ...
4 3 5 7 9 11
Calculus

5. The Birth:
Newton’s Calculus
Date: 1665-1666
Developed his calculus in his twenties.
Used as a means to support his physics.
Published in Philosophiae Naturalis Principia
Mathematica (Prinicipia) in 1687.

6. The Birth:
Leibniz’s Calculus
Date: 1675
Developed first by the integral then by the
differential.
 is the sum
d is for the difference
Published in the Acta Eruditorum in
1684.

7. The Controversy:
Beginning
The fuel to the fire:
Newton’s lack to publish his work
Leibniz’s correspondence with Newton
The first accusation of plagiarism
against Leibniz was stated by
Nicolas Fatio de Duiller.

8. The Controversy:
Building of the Storm
In 1704, The Optiks was published.
Newton made a statement that Leibniz may
have copied his work.
Leibniz countered by criticizing
Newton’s work.
The statement angered nearly all of
England.
1708, Leibniz was accused of plagiarism by
John Keill.

9. The Controversy:
Full Blown
The charge was made in 1708.
Leibniz’s copy was delayed until 1711.
The Royal Society’s intervention
In 1711, the Royal Society created a
committee to look into the matter.
At this time Newton was the president of
the Society.

10. The Controversy:
Ending
The Royal Society decision:
Newton was the first inventor of the
calculus
Leibniz was not injured by Keill’s remark.
This decision was published as the
Commercium Epistolicum in 1712
Death of Leibniz in 1716

11. After the Death
Burialof Leibniz
Only one person was present.
Newton’s slandered
Second edition of Commercium
Epistolicum
England’s rejection
England would only teach English
mathematics
Quiz
NO foreign works Time

14. The committee
11 members
6 mathematician
2 foreigners
Only one was a mathematician
7 were friends of Newton

15. Quiz Time
At what age did Newton develop his calculus?
a. 30s
b. 20s
c. 40s

16. Who was the first that stated that Leibniz could
have plagiarized?
a. Sir Isaac Newton
b. Nicolas Fatio de Duiller
c. John Keill

17. What were the findings that the Royal
Society published about the controversy?

18. Who is considered the inventor of
calculus?
a. Isaac Newton
b. Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
c. Both

19. Credits
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axZTv5YJssA
Images:
Slide 5:
Slide 6:
Slide 7:
Slide 14:
All other images were acquired from free sources
and wikipedia.