c. 1290-1349

English Mathematician

Known as "the Profound Scholar," Thomas Bradwardine wrote a wide array of mathematical and scientific works on subjects ranging from geometry to the physics of motion. He developed mathematical formulae for physical laws that served as a precursor to later efforts at quantitative measurement involving physical processes.

Bradwardine may have been born in Chichester, England, and scholars give various dates for his birth. He entered Merton College in Oxford in 1321, earning his M.A. in 1323 and his B.Th. before 1333. During his 14 years at Merton—he left in 1335—he wrote the majority of his works on mathematics, logic, physics, and philosophy.

In De proportionibus velocitatum in motibus (1328), Bradwardine analyzed principles put forth by Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) concerning the physics of bodies in motion. His contemporary Jean Buridan (1300-1358) would later critique the Greek philosopher's erroneous assertion that force must be applied...