1462-1498

German mathematician who studied at the University of Leipzig, and became a teacher there, lecturing on arithmetic and algebra. He was the first to teach the subject of algebra in Germany. Widman is best remembered for an early German arithmetic book in 1489 that has the first use of plus and minus signs. It was very successful, containing a wider range of examples than previous texts; and it remained in print until 1526. Little is known of Widman's life after 1489.