Lodovico Ferrari was born February 2nd
1522 in Bologna, Papal States, now better known as Italy. He arrived at Cardan’s house when he was a 14 year old to work as Cardan’s servant. When Cardan noticed that the boy already know how to read and write, he made him his secretary. After a while he noticed that Ferrari was a bright person, so he decided to teach him mathematics. Ferrari learned mathematics very well and after only four years of studying mathematics. Ferrari discovered the solution of the quartic equation in 1540 with an extremely good argument that rely on the solution of
cubic equations. Four years later (1545), Cardan published a book called Ars Magna, which contained the solution to the cubic equation and Ferrari’s solution to the quartic.
1522 in Bologna, Papal States, now better known as Italy. He arrived at Cardan’s house when he was a 14 year old to work as Cardan’s servant. When Cardan noticed that the boy already know how to read and write, he made him his secretary. After a while he noticed that Ferrari was a bright person, so he decided to teach him mathematics. Ferrari learned mathematics very well and after only four years of studying mathematics. Ferrari discovered the solution of the quartic equation in 1540 with an extremely good argument that rely on the solution of
cubic equations. Four years later (1545), Cardan published a book called Ars Magna, which contained the solution to the cubic equation and Ferrari’s solution to the quartic.
Ferrari worked with Cardan in the development of the solution to the cubic form. This solution had already been solved publicly by Niccolo Tartaglia. Yet, Cardano and Ferrari made significant improvements to this particular method. Then Ferrari's work guided him to find a solution to the quartic equation. Ferrari's solution of the quadric equation was very nice. It involved the used of the solution of the cubic equation. We can see at the right Ferrari's equation. On the second bulet point the y1 is a real solution to the cubic equation. |
In the following video we have how to solve the quartic equation using the same method used by Ferrari.