Reigna Paula Chio Ms.

Roxanne Arco
Nathan Lee Ng Mathematics 5
Fathers
“Calculus is a subject that is loved by some and feared by many.” Calculus in simple
terms is the study of how things change. Calculus has two opposite main branches, just like cold
is to hot it is differential calculus to integral calculus. A controversy in the mathematical world
started to show its smoke in 1699 and exploded full force in 1711. Isaac Newton and Gottfried
Wilhelm Leibniz were involved in one of the greatest controversies of all time, the “Calculus
Controversy.” (Ramos, 2017) Their argument of who is the one who created and who copied
spanned for a long time. Maybe we’ve been asking the wrong question the whole time, maybe
the right question is, “Who are the Fathers of Calculus?”
It was well-known that Isaac Newton had made significant advancements, especially in
optics, in mechanics, in physics, and in mathematics. In 1666, Newton had his annus mirabilis,
or miracle year. In that year he laid down core ideas that would become the foundations of
inventing calculus. In 1687, Newton published his book, “The Mathematical Principles of
Natural Philosophy,” which laid down core principles of calculus, however he had no definitive
publication formalizing his fluxional calculus. Newton also had the knack for delaying the
publication of his works. Newton viewed calculus as a descriptive tool to understand
phenomena. He determined the area under a curve based on the instantaneous rate of change. He
called the system the “method of fluxions and fluents,” and thought in terms of motion (Herres,
2018).
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, on the other hand, is a German polymath and a member of
the Royal Society in London who made a very similar theory of calculus independent from
Newton. Leibniz investigated the inner nature of tangents. He wanted to find a metaphysical
explanation for change. Within two months despite his position and responsibilities as a
representative, he had developed a complete theory of differential calculus and integral calculus.
Leibniz invented calculus somewhere in the middle of the 1670s. (Brown, 2012)
Compared to Newton, he published his work without delay and because of this, the
country of Europe known calculus from Leibniz in 1684. When Newton knew that Leibniz
published calculus which he has already started earlier than Leibniz, he accused him of
plagiarism. Newton certainly had his connections, with him being the president of the Royal
Society during the controversy. The Royal Society, a scientific academy, favored Newton from
the start. It is important to emphasize the role of the Royal Society in this controversy, since at
the time of the dispute, there were not many scientific communities, and the Royal Society is one
of the first to come into existence, thus having authority in the scientific community. Newton
manipulated the quarrel, with his connections. He was the one who assigned the judges for the
dispute and no participant doubted that Newton had already developed his method of fluxions
when Leibniz began working on the differential calculus, however there was no proof beyond
Newton’s word ("Leibniz and Newton calculus controversy", 2018). 
 The argument that Leibniz developed calculus independently from Newton rests on the
evidence that Leibniz demonstrated in his private papers the different way he developed his ideas
of calculus from Newton’s way. Leibniz started first in integration, which he saw as a
generalization of the summation of infinite series, whereas Newton came first to derivatives
("Leibniz and Newton calculus controversy", 2018).
Despite the setbacks, Leibniz was not discouraged and still continued discovering
methods used in mathematics. Through the span of time, it was Leibniz’s mathematics that
eventually prevailed, his notation and his way of writing calculus is the one still majorly used in
mathematics today, since it was more convenient than Newton’s dot and double dot notation.
It does not make sense to see only Newton or Leibniz as the sole creator of calculus, for
they both have made significant contributions in the development of calculus. One cannot see
without the other. It only makes sense when they are both regarded to give birth to a developed
calculus. They deserve the respect and credit for being the Fathers of Calculus.
References
Brown, R. C. (2012). Tangled origins of Leibnitzian Calculus: A case study of mathematical
revolution, World Scientific ISBN 9789814390804
Herres, D. (2018). Isaac Newton and Calculus. Retrieved from
https://www.testandmeasurementtips.com/calculus-and-isaac-newton/
Leibniz and Newton calculus controversy. (2018). Retrieved from
https://deskarati.com/2011/03/10/leibniz-and-newton-calculus-controversy/

Leibniz summary. (2018). Www-groups.dcs.st-andrews.ac.uk. Retrieved 18 December 2018,

from http://www-groups.dcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Leibniz.html

Ramos, S. (2017). The Discovery of Calculus: Leibniz vs. Newton – StMU History

Media. Stmuhistorymedia.org. Retrieved 18 December 2018, from
https://www.stmuhistorymedia.org/the-discovery-of-calculus-leibniz-vs-newton/

Who Invented Calculus - Newton or Leibniz? Learn the History of Calculus. (2016). The Great
CoursesDaily. Retrieved 18 December 2018, from
https://www.thegreatcoursesdaily.com/invented-calculus-newton-leibniz/