napier : Idioms & Phrases

Index

john napier

  • noun Scottish mathematician who invented logarithms; introduced the use of the decimal point in writing numbers (1550-1617)
    Napier.
WordNet

napier's bones

  • noun a set of graduated rods formerly used to do multiplication and division by a method invented by John Napier
    Napier's bones.
WordNet
Na"pi*er's bones`, Na"pi*er's rods` (Also<
  • Napier's bones
  • Napier's rods
)
Definitions
  1. A set of rods, made of bone or other material, each divided into nine spaces, and containing the numbers of a column of the multiplication table; -- a contrivance of Baron Napier, the inventor of logarithms, for facilitating the operations of multiplication and division.
Webster 1913

napier's rods

  • noun a set of graduated rods formerly used to do multiplication and division by a method invented by John Napier
    Napier's bones.
WordNet
Na"pi*er's bones`, Na"pi*er's rods` (Also<
  • Napier's bones
  • Napier's rods
)
Definitions
  1. A set of rods, made of bone or other material, each divided into nine spaces, and containing the numbers of a column of the multiplication table; -- a contrivance of Baron Napier, the inventor of logarithms, for facilitating the operations of multiplication and division.
Webster 1913