nLab
Gottfried Leibniz

Gottfried Leibniz is responsible for lots of stuff:

• differential calculus and integral calculus, especially the basic notation that we use today;
• the product rule of calculus may be called the Leibniz rule or Leibniz law;
• differentiation under the integral sign? follows the Leibniz integral rule;
• identity of indiscernibles? may be called the Leibniz law;
• a version of infinitesimals sometimes regarded as a precursor to synthetic differential geometry;
• a philosophy involving ‘monads’, from which we get the names of both the monads of category theory and the infinitesimal neighbourhoods of nonstandard analysis.

References

• Wikipedia entry

category: people