fl. c. 263

Chinese Mathematician

The first non-Greek mathematician of distinction, Liu Hui developed an early approximation of π. He is also known for his commentary on an ancient Chinese mathematical work and for his use of calculating rods, a form of computing developed by mathematicians in China centuries earlier.

Liu Hui lived in the era of the Three Kingdoms (221-265), a period of anarchy immediately following the collapse of the Han Dynasty. Despite the confusion of the times, the age produced a great number of cultural and scientific advancements; in the fourteenth century a popular book entitled Romance of the Three Kingdoms would celebrate this period in Chinese history.

The three kingdoms were Wu, Shu, and Wei, in whose government Liu Hui served as an official. The only certain date of his life is 263, when he wrote a commentary on Chiu-chang Suan-shu or Jiuzhang Suanshu (Nine chapters...