Saturday, September 24, 2011

Opus Arithmetica of Honoratus

An illustration from an unpublished 16th century manuscript, Opus Arithmetica D. Honorati veneti monachj coenobij S. Lauretij. Honoratus was a Venetian monk, and the manuscript was written in the second half of the 16th century. But the manuscript was copied by a pupil, probably also a monk, who also did the illustrations.

The above illustration depicts the compound operation necessary to solve a given problem. The multiplication of 16299 by 613 resulting in the product 9991287 can be discerned in the central configuration. In the lower left corner is another galley division.

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