The Whetstone of Witte

By Robert Record

Subjects: Algebra, Tudor Mathematicians., 16th Century English Books, Arithmetic, History of Mathematics

Description: *The Whetstone of Witte* contains a treatise on algebra which is generally supposed to be the first ever in the English language. The word itself appears for the first time in this book, although it is spelt *algeber*. In Recorde's time algebra was more often known as the *cossic arte*, from the Latin *cosa*, meaning *thing*, and algebraists were for many years known as cossists. The book contains the first use ever in mathematical notation of two parallel lines to mean 'equals', and it also contains the word which suposedly has the most z's in the English language - *zenzizenzizenzike* - which means the eighth power of a number. This terminology is now, of course, archaic.