c. 1238-c. 1298

Chinese Mathematician

Though he did not invent the Pascal triangle, Yang Hui did provide an early discussion concerning its use. He also wrote several texts, at least one of which proved influential in East Asian mathematics for centuries to come. Some scholars consider Yang Hui's career the apex of Chinese algebraic studies in the medieval period.

Almost nothing is known about the life of Yang Hui, except for the fact that he served as an official under the southern Sung. The Sung Dynasty, established in 960, had controlled all of China until 1127, when an attack by "barbarian" peoples from the north forced them to move their government southward. Yang Hui's contemporary and fellow mathematician Li Yeh (1192-1279), for instance, lived in northern China, which was controlled first by Juchen nomads and later by Mongols.

During this same time, southern China flourished, and despite the humiliating...