Christians in mathematics: de Moivre

Abraham de Moivre (1667-1754) was a French mathematician and a contemporary of Sir Isaac Newton. De Moivre made great contributions to the fields of probability and analytic geometry. His most significant contribution may have been in the field of complex numbers, where he is credited with discovering what is now known as de Moivre's formula:



where i is the square root of -1.

In 1685 Louis XIV of France revoked the Edict of Nantes, which had granted religious freedom to Protestants. After being imprisoned for his Protestant faith de Moivre came to England seeking religious freedom, where he befriended Newton.

Near the end of his life De Moivre noted that he was sleeping 15 minutes longer each day, and predicted that he would die when his sleep reached 24 hours. He turned out to be correct. De Moivre died on November 27, 1754.