Stevin

Simon Stevin (1548–1620), also known as Simon Stevinus, was a Flemish mathematician, physicist, engineer, and military officer who worked in the Dutch Republic. He is best known for introducing decimal fractions into Europe and for applying mathematical methods to practical problems in science and engineering.

Stevin was born in Bruges, then part of the Habsburg Netherlands. He studied mathematics and engineering and moved to the Dutch Republic after the upheavals of the 1570s, entering the service of Maurice of Nassau as a military engineer. In this role, he contributed to fortification design, artillery practice, and other technical tasks central to Dutch military engineering.

His most influential work is De Thiende (The Tenth), published in 1585, which presented decimal fractions and decimal notation for arithmetic, commerce, and science. This work helped standardize decimal arithmetic across Europe and laid groundwork for modern numerical calculation.

In mathematics and physics, Stevin applied quantitative methods to problems of mechanics and hydrostatics, promoting the use of geometry and algebra in understanding force, motion, and equilibrium. He is regarded as a pioneer in making mathematical reasoning central to engineering practice and demonstrations in statics.

Stevin's writings and his active role as a practitioner contributed to the spread of scientific thinking and the integration of mathematics into engineering and public works during the Dutch Golden Age. He died in The Hague in 1620.